Beast Talon
by DestinysRequiem
Summary: The new guild of Fiore is about to be thrown into it's own destiny. But what will fate decide to throw their way? No longer accepting OC inserts.
1. Chapter 1

Silver eyes stared up at the towering building, her blonde hair swaying softly in the breeze, the crimson ends looking almost black in the moonlight shadow. She had finally done it. After months of hard work, endless sketches, paperwork and practically sleepless nights her goal could finally be realized. She touched the back of her neck. She sure would miss the others, but this was for the best. Fairy Tail had its own path to take while she had hers.

With a soft smile she looked up to the highest point, where a red flag with a beast's claw waved proudly in the wind. Higher than that were the stars, shining boldly as memories of a life long past flashed in her mind.

This young woman's name was Marionette Fugimoto, Master to the newly opened Guild, Beast Talon.

As she continued to stare at the stars she couldn't help but think what the little baby she once knew would look like by now.

"If you're still alive, little star… come home soon." She sighed before walking in through the doors of her new guild hall. With a quick glance around the empty space she puffed out her chest and placed her hands on her full hips, smiling to herself, a proud light in her eye.

First, she decided, she'd need to decorate. She could wait for others to come while she did that and maybe by then, it would feel more like home.

…

Golden eyes shined in the starlight, staring bored at the city lights below. Silver hair flew lightly in the wind as a small red furball landed softly on the shoulder of a cloaked figure.

"Come on Akemi, we have got no choice. We'll run out of provisions soon if you don't go." A small red Exceed with large blue eyes said, staring sadly at her adoptive mother. The young woman sighed.

"I know Lyla." The girl said, petting her cat on the head. "But it's late, we'll rest here for now and go in the morning." Lyla nodded and hovered for a moment as Akemi settled onto the ground. Lyla curled onto the silver haired girl's stomach and fell fast asleep while Akemi settle her hand between the furry animal's ears and stared up at the constellations, reminded of her mother long passed.

"You can't trust anyone." She murmured before drifting off herself.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay! Sorry the chapter was so short, but I needed something to kick this off. Shout out to Kawaii Kaiya for her OC! I didn't want to start with mine, she's not guild master material. I am accepting OC's, so please PM me or review your OC! Below is all the info I need.

Name:

Nickname (optional):

Age:

Gender:

Appearance:

Casual Clothes:

Formal:

Swim wear:

Sleep wear:

Magic:

Spells:

History (if there is a mystery you want to be solved throughout the story, please tell me what it is and what you want the outcome to be):

Tattoo's, Scars and Marks:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Personality:

Hobbies:

Guild Mark Location and Color:

Love Interests (What would your character look for in a romantic partner if they want one):

Extra Info:

Exceed (optional)

Name:

Appearance:

Clothing:

Personality:

Special Skills:

Extra Info:

I look forward to seeing your characters! I need at least one earth based wizard, whether it's Dragon Slayer or no. See ya soon! ^_^


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey! Genji!" Called a masculine voice. A woman with silky black hair and pale blue eyes, turned to a pale man that was short for his age with black, shaggy hair flopped over his right eye. The woman was dressed in a white ,long sleeved shirt that hugged the curves around her waist and hips under a worn, jean vest. Below that was a pair of black cargo pants and shiny black sneakers. "Send another couple of drinks our way before we come and take 'em!" Said the man dressed in a black, flame laced jacket with a white inside and grey t-shirt with a cocky smirk on his face. Genji rolled her eyes with a bemused smile on her face. She had been one of the part time barmaid's for a while and she was used to this behavior from him. That being said, she chose to ignore his snarky remark and moved behind the bar to get said drink.

"Remy, I thought I told you to stop being so rude." Said a girl with dark brown, choppy hair, sending the boy a glare with her solid, emerald eyes. This girl was dressed in a tattered pink sweater and light, torn skinny jeans. A peach pink furred cat with feathered wings, a panda hat, and bright silver eyes flew to peer over the young woman's shoulder.

"I ain't apologizing for nothing, Athee." Remy shrugged and leaned back in his chair. The skinny, slender woman then turned to the charcoal eyed man sitting with him.

"What about you Marius. Are you going to do something to stop him?" The other black haired man shrugged, kicking back as well. This one had tanned skin and a lean build, clad in a sleeveless grey hoodie, a green bandanna tired around his arm and white cargo pants.

"I might, but it'll cost ya." He smiled cheekily. Athena opened her mouth to retort but was beat to the punch.

"Marius, knock it off unless you actually want a girl to start flirting with you." Said Genji, coming back with the drinks.

"Seriously, last time, Red made you faint!" Remy exclaimed with a teasing smirk as a mug of beer was placed in front of him and Marius. Marius scowled with a slight blush.

"Alright, fine, I get it." He grumbled.

"Speaking of our flirtatious master, where is she? There's a new comer waiting in her office." Genji asked. Athena shrugged.

"Ask Remy, he spends the most time with her." Athena said. Remy raised his hands in the air.

"Don't look at me, it's not like I track that woman's movements." The boy said.

"She went on a shopping run, said something about restocking the kitchens." Said an autumn haired girl, her deep blue eyes trained on the pages of a book at a nearby table. The new speaker wore a baggy purple sweater that fell loosely off one shoulder to reveal various scaring on the skin of her shoulder and neck. She had a beanie perched on her head and a pair of shorts on as well.

"Katelin?! When did you get back?!" Athena asked, taking the seat across from the freckled girl. Katelin looked up from her book and smiled.

"Just this morning, actually. The job was a success, we even finished early! Sam found a new metal and got all excited about it." The cat in the panda hat zeroed in on the unfamiliar cover of the book that was cradled in Katelin's hand.

"What are you reading?" He asked, landing on the table between the two women. Katelin tucked her book mark in the pages and handed the girl the book.

"I'm glad you asked Monnie. It's about a girl who's been through a lot of wrong doings for her life. So far it's really interesting." Athena flipped through the pages with interest as she listened to the girl talk while her exceed peered over shoulder. "Her ultimate goal is to kill the organization that caused her mother's death. You can borrow it when I'm done if you like."

"Really?! Oh, thanks Kay!" Athena was practically jumping in her seat while Katelin shook her head with a smile on her face. At that moment, Marionette walked through the guild doors with shopping bags in her hands. The infamous Guild Master dressed herself in a white tank top, lightly colored skinny jeans that were ripped at the knee's and leather high heeled boots. Taking a quick look around her now bustling guild she smiled to herself. She didn't think that after just a year, she'd already have so many members. It wasn't as big as Fairy Tail, but it was still impressive to her.

Marionette, known as Red to all her guild mates, shook her head and walked behind the bar, into the kitchens where Genji had left after giving Remy his drinks.

"Here, we shouldn't have to restock for a while. Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Red asked as Genji dried a glass.

"No, but there's a girl waiting for you upstairs, a new guild mate." Genji replied, putting the glass away and beginning to do the same with the groceries.

"How long has she been waiting?" Red asked.

"Maybe fifteen minutes." Genji said in response.

"Thank you for telling me. Oh, and about next week's guild master meeting, I'm leaving you in charge until I come back. If you want to go on a job, do it now." With that the guild master left for her office on the second floor.

Entering her office, there was someone sitting in the chair across from hers. The only thing she could make out was jet black hair.

"Sorry for the wait miss…" Red started, walking around to face the girl in the chair.

"Luna, Luna DarkHeart." The girl answered for her. Her hair was waist length, her bangs covered her left eye while the right was icy blue. She wore a black off shoulder T-shirt that read "I do bit" in purple glitter and dark jeans. In her lap was a purple furred, twin tailed, cat wearing a white sundress.

"And who's this?" Red then asked. The cat opened it eyes and looked right at her, answering for herself.

"My name is Kirara." Red smiled, remembering the other exceeds that were within the guild.

"Very nice to meet you Luna, Kirara, I'm Marionette, but most just call me Red. Welcome to Beast Talon." She said, taking her seat. "So, tell me about yourselves."

…

"Hey, Bastion! Welcome back to the world of people!" Called Remy as a tall blonde armored man with a muscular build and tousled hair walked into the guild hall. This man was wearing white Adamantine armor with a golden laced edge and crown like helmet under his arm.

"So, what kind of metal was it this time Sam?" Katelin asked, setting down her book.

"Titanium. I never thought I'd find a scrap just lying around!" Sam said in his usual Nordic accent and with a grin on his face.

"What are you going to do with it?" Monnie asked curiously. Sam shook his head.

"No, I'm saving it for something special." He said, walking to stand by the table the two girls sat at.

"Anything in mind?" Asked Katelin. Sam smiled brightly.

"Not a clue! I'll tell you when the need comes around though!" The girls shook their heads.

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I'm in the mood for a mission. You two up for it?" Athena asked. Sam smiled and Katelin sighed.

"Genji, Remy, Marius, what about you guys?" Athena asked. Genji shrugged.

"Sure, I'll come." She said. Remy groaned.

"Do I have to?" He complained. Athena rolled your eyes.

"No one is making you go Remy. If you want to stay, that's fine." Katelin said. He groaned again as he and Marius stood and joined the group.

"It's boring without the others here anyway." Marius commented.

"I call getting to pick!" Monnie declared and flew over to the board with excitement.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, this is not all the OC's I'm using, this is just a few. I want you guys to know that I can't decide who to pair anyone with! So, as the story goes on, tell me the top three pairings you like. I'm not gonna do a poll, that will just get annoying. I have a headache just thinking about it. Anyway, I'll introduce the other characters at a later time. Oh, and feel free to tell me if I got something wrong.

Shout outs to the people whose OC's I've used in this chapter!

_**Kawaii Kaiya**_ owns "Marionette Fugimoto" a.k.a. "Red"

_**Ice Ninja Luna**_ owns "Luna DarkHeart" a.k.a. "Lu-Lu" and "Kirara"

_**Repunzel3**_ owns "Katelin" a.k.a. "Kay"

_**Seth98**_ owns "Marius Volker"

_**RansomeNote**_ owns "Genora Dakamaru" a.k.a. "Genji"

_**ColonelRem**_ owns "Remy"

_**Benthino**_ owns "Samuel Steele" a.k.a. "Sam" and "Bastion"

And my friend who's known on Wattpad as _**random_fandom000**_ owns "Athena Temotha" a.k.a. "Athee" and "Monnie", she is also my editor.

I just want the guests who submitted OC's to know I am going to be using your OC's. Thank you for submitting OC's and I will be accepting a few more. I'll update soon! Oh! And those who submitted exceeds, I forgot to ask where your cats wanted their guild marks. XD I'd make a bad guild master…


	3. Chapter 3

Athena came stumbling off the train, her face a pale green. She collapsed against the bench, trying not to empty the contents of her stomach as Monnie came flying after her. The pink furred cat landed in front of her and pat her knee. Sam followed soon after, a black haired boys arm slung over his shoulder, a large centurion styled shield strapped to his back. After that came Marius, Remy, Genji, Katelin and a gray, silver eyed cat with a Mohawk.

"What is with you slayers and motion sickness?" Remy grumbled as Sam set the black haired boy on a bench.

"I hate trains…" Athena groaned. Monnie continued to pat her knee as Katelin and Genji looked at the mission flyer again.

"It says we're supposed to meet the mayor on Fourth Street, where his house is. There we can get the details of this _phantom_ that's been roaming around." Genji said.

"It's probably just some kid scaring the locals." Katelin replied. Marius turned to her.

"I take it you don't believe in ghosts?" He asked. Katelin shook her head.

"I'll believe it if I see it." She said. Marius shrugged. "Anyway, is anyone going to wake Alex up? We need to get going, it'll be dark soon."

"I'm up." Said the boy on the bench. His eyes flickered open, revealing a metallic silver color as he sat up and rubbed a hand through his unruly hair. His outfit consisted of a white, sleeveless jacket with the Beast Talon guild mark colored in Black on the back. Beneath that he wore a black, v-neck shirt with a white crown in the center of the chest and black skinny jeans held up by a white belt.

"Athee, you good?" Asked Genji. The girl nodded numbly, standing shakily to her feet.

"I'll be fine, let's just get going." She said. The group left for the mayor's house together.

When they arrived at Fourth Street, the only house on the street was a large, four story white mansion with a well-kept garden. A small man waited outside on the front porch in a white suit and blonde hair. As the group approached he opened his arms in welcome.

"You must be the mage's from Beast Talon! Welcome to our village." He welcomed.

"Mayor Nibrus, correct?" Katelin asked, shaking the man's hand.

"That's correct!"

"I'm Katelin, this is Genora, Marius, Remy, Sam, Alex, and Athena. The Exceeds are Monnie and Kirito." Katelin introduced, gesturing to everyone as she called their name.

"Yes, wonderful to meet you all. Please, come inside!" He gestured with a smile and led everyone into the large house. Nibrus led them to a living area and gestured for them to sit. Remy preferred to stand next to the sofa, but everyone else took their seats.

"The flyer said the town had been having trouble from a phantom?" Sam asked. Mayor Nibrus nodded.

"It started a few weeks ago. Some of the townsfolk like to take midnight walks into the woods every now and again. It's very beautiful at night, I've found myself wandering around once or twice. But one night a villager came back, declaring they were being stalked by some hooded figure.

"No one believed them of course and two men went out there the next night. That morning, one dragged the other back unconscious, saying that they saw the same figure in the woods and just as suddenly as they'd seen it, it disappeared before something attacked them." Nibrus told them. Katelin creased her brow.

"Do you know whose ghost it might be?" She asked and Nibrus shook his head.

"For all we know someone could have been murdered in those woods. A lot of people pass through them to get from one place to another." Athena and Genji clasped onto each other, shivering. Marius rolled his eyes as Remy scoffed and Sam looked at the man skeptically.

"What do you think we can do about it?" Sam asked.

"Put the ghost to rest. It's likely their body is somewhere in those woods. If you can find it, find out what happened and give them a proper burial, maybe they'll finally find peace." The mayor acknowledged. Sam looked to Katelin. She stared for a moment before smiling.

"Tell us where to go." She requested and the mayor nodded, a relieved smile on his face.

He led them outside the mansion and down the road.

"The woods are on the other side of town. I'll take you to the edge of the forest, but that's as far as I'm willing to go." He admitted.

"It's fine, we'll take it from there." Katelin said. Alex fell into step with the autumn haired girl.

"I thought you didn't believe in ghosts?" He asked. She rolled her eyes.

"I don't, I'll fill you in when we get there… I thought you were unconscious for that conversation." She replied. He scoffed.

"The King of the Slayers does not 'fall unconscious' I was just… dazed." He said. Katelin rolled her eyes.

"Don't let Athena catch you saying that." Katelin warned and he scowled.

Athena started walking between them to get ahead. "I didn't want him to come along anyway." She said stoutly.

"Well I didn't want to be left behind." He grumbled.

Suddenly the mayor stopped and the group looked up. A few meters away was a line of vast trees and greenery, darkened in the shadow of the setting sun. Katelin put her hand on the man's shoulder.

"Thank you, Mayor Nibrus, we'll take it from here." She said and looked into the woods. He nodded.

"W-wait, are we sure about this?" Athena asked. Katelin ignored her and stepped toward the line of trees.

"If you come back and need to rest for a while, there's an inn on Seventeenth Street. It's already paid for, my treat. Thank you again." He said before disappearing behind a building. Alex then turned to Katelin.

"Okay, what's your plan?" He asked. Katelin inspected the forest, not facing the others as she spoke.

"I don't think we're looking for a ghost." She admitted.

"What?!" Genji asked incredulously. "Then why are we—"

"I didn't say there wasn't someone behind it, I just don't think there's a ghost. There was one major inconsistency. Ghosts can't attack people." Katelin reasoned.

"Ever heard of a poltergeist?" Athena contradicted.

"If it was a poltergeist, the villagers wouldn't have seen it, and even if they could, the worst it could do would throw a branch at them. I don't think that's what happened." The freckled girl explained.

"Kay, are you going off a hunch?" Marius asked. The girl paused and sighed, before turning around and giving him a determined stare.

"For once, yes I am, but this is still a more logical solution." She said and pointed with her thumb at the forest behind her. "How big do you think those woods are? Forty, maybe fifty acres? Who's to say there isn't someone living in those woods, since this started? Maybe they're just scaring away people that get too close to something. Anyone can pass through those woods and go completely unnoticed, so could someone living there."

"Okay, let's say for a minute your right, what do you suggest we do?" Kirito asked gruffly, taking to the air to be eye level with the woman.

"We'll talk to them. If they attack, capture them and force them to listen."

"Sounds good to me." Monnie said, raising his paw high in the air.

"I'm with Monnie." Athena agreed, raising her hand as well.

"What are we, taking a vote?" asked Alex. Athena rolled her eyes as Sam raised his hand.

"I think that's exactly what we're doing. All in favor?" Marius asked as he raised his hand. Katelin raised hers. Alex, Remy and Kirito looked at each other before Alex sighed and raised his hand.

"Alright, I will admit, the plan isn't half bad." He agreed.

"But Alex! What happens if she's wrong?" Kirito asked.

"Then we stick to the Mayor's plan, deal?" Sam asked. The cat speculated for a minute before copying his foster parent and raising his paw. Remy looked around and scoffed before raising his own hand.

"You guys really don't give me a choice, do you?" He smirked. Katelin grinned smugly.

"Good, then we all agree. We'll split into three groups. Marius, Monnie, you go with Sam. Alex, Kirito, you're with Remy. Genora, Athena, come with me." Everyone nodded and split into their groups. "If you don't find anything by the time you see sunlight again, meet back here and we'll figure something out." With a nod everyone moved into the forest.

The groups searched for hours, the dragon slayers tried sniffing out any odors they could and Marius used his magic to try and track whoever they were after.

Athena inhaled in short huffs, trying to find the slightest trace of a scent that didn't fit. After a little while she finally shook her head and turned to Katelin.

"It's no use, if anyone's here they've been in in these woods long enough they're starting to smell like them." She exclaimed. Katelin sighed.

"This didn't start until a few weeks ago. For them to start smelling like the forest, they'd have to have been here longer than that, right?" Katelin asked.

"Unless it really is a ghost." Genji mumbled. Katelin sighed and rubbed her temples.

"There is no ghost." She insisted.

"We don't know that. There was once a time when people didn't believe in magic and look at where we are!" Genji contradicted.

"Guys, shut up." Athena instructed. Genji glared at her.

"Are you taking her side now?" She asked. Athena shot Genji a glare, warning her. Genji found herself staring at her with her mouth snapped tightly shut.

"What are you getting?" Katelin started to ask but was interrupted by Athena's sharp hush. The Earth Dragon slayer closed her eyes and turned all of her attention to her ears, listening closely to the forest around her. The brush of leaves in the wind, a distant sound of running water, the birds chirping around her, a squirrel chewing on a nut. Then suddenly a sharp rustle, something thick hitting a branch. Then another, louder this time. She snapped her eyes open as she heard another, even closer than the last. She looked up at Katelin.

"Something's coming closer." Athena whispered. Katelin and Genji widened their eyes. The girls quickly pressed their backs together and kept their eyes on the surrounding trees, watching as the shadows roiled and obscured their view of the depth of the forest. Athena still heard the sounds getting louder and closer. The sounds increased to the point she was sure the others could hear it too. They listened and watched, waiting for anything to come jumping out at them. Athena crouched low to the earth, ready to break it open. Genji raised her fists slightly to her sides, feeling the boiling magma under her rise to the surface, preparing to break through. Katelin raised her hands in front of her, elbows slightly bent as she gathered energy to enforce the other two.

Suddenly the sharp rustling sounds stopped short of their position and everyone looked around, confused and baffled.

"Where is it?" Genji asked quietly.

"I'm not sure." Athena replied, sweeping her eyes swiftly over her area.

"I do." Katelin said. Genji and Athena looked her way. There, in the shadow of the trees stood someone in a tattered, beige cloak, the shadow of their hood hiding their face from view. Athena felt her heart rate increase, Genji tried to keep her breathing slow and steady as Katelin glared at the figure. "Who are you?" She demanded. They simply stood there, waiting silently, the wind making their cloak rustle. Katelin tilted her head, wondering if they even understood her.

Athena breathed in for any odor to track them with and froze. Whoever they were, they had no scent that she could tell. Katelin took a step forward and Athena reached out to stop her. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light and the girls jumped apart, away from the flash. They looked to see the figure land where they had been standing. They then turned to Katelin and lunged. The support mage jumped out of the way.

"Magma Barrage!" Genji cried. Suddenly magma shot out of the ground around the cloaked figure. They looked around frantically as it began to surround them. Genji began to run forward for an attack when suddenly a light appeared in the stranger's hands and water shot out in a stream. They spun and instantly hardened the magma, also throwing Genora back into a tree with the force of the water. Just as suddenly as the light had appeared it was gone.

"A water mage?" Katelin questioned.

"Sand storm!" Athena cried. Dust and clouds of earth rose from the ground in a spiral around the figure, blinding them from the Beast Talon mages. Athena rushed forward when there was sufficient cover, gathering magic under one foot. She leapt into the sand storm and cried "Earth Dragon's Claw!" Her kick landed on the figures face as the sand storm began to dissipate. The figure crashed into a tree with a grunt. Athena jumped back to stand with Katelin.

"Okay, I believe you, that is not a ghost." She said. The figure stumbled back to their feet. Though she couldn't see it, Athena could feel the figure glaring at her directly and unconsciously shivered. The figure dashed forward, their fist raised for a direct punch. Athena jumped to the side and elbowed the figure in the back. They fell on their face but pushed up on their hands, kicking the girl in the stomach. Athena coughed and leapt back as the figure jumped up. They got hit in the back by a kick from Genora, but spun to kick her in the side Athena rushed forward to rip their hood down, but they spun at the last second and she caught hold of what she thought as the cloaks clasp. She glanced up into the hood to see golden eyes glaring back at her and ripped what she had grabbed onto from the cloaked figure. She was surprised when they jumped back and their cloak was still intact. Their hand immediately went to their neck and Athena again saw golden eyes stare at her before the figure lunged for her. She ducked to her left, but the figure abruptly stopped and listened closely. Just as suddenly, they leapt away and back into the shadows.

"Athena!" The slayer looked up in time to catch Monnie as he flew right into her chest.

"What happened? We heard fighting and came straight here!" Alex demanded breathlessly. Athena glared at him.

"Well you're late, the fights already passed. We were attacked and they ran off." Athena said, before nuzzling Monnie's head affectionately. "We're alright though, don't worry." She said softly. She didn't notice Alex visibly relax. Genji kneeled next to Athena as the others rushed onto the scene.

"Where are you hurt?" Genji asked, prepared to help.

"I'm alright, just gonna have a few bruises." She said in return. Athena suddenly remembered the object she'd got from the cloaked figure and lifted her closed fist. She opened her hand and saw a bright silver key with reptilian wings at the grip and some sort of streaming light sculpture at the other end of the shaft.

"What is that?" Katelin asked. Athena shook her head.

"I got it off whoever that person was." She said.

"It looks like a celestial key." Sam said. Everyone looked at him and he shrugged. "It looks similar to Rosie's keys." He said.

"Well, whatever it is, it's a clue to finding out who this phantom is. We should get back to the hotel and rest. We'll figure this out in the morning." Katelin said. No one complained as they helped Athena up and made their way out of the forest. Meanwhile, golden eyes watched them carefully from the darkness and followed them in silence.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey! I got a longer chapter out of this one! Anyway, all I really have to say is this.

Give a big hoorah to _**ThePrinceOfLight**_ for submitting "Alexander Nighthawk" a.k.a. "Alex" and his Exceed, "Kirito"!

Also, my friend who owns "Athena" just got a fanfiction account, so if you like Percy Jackson, Harry Potter and all that, go follow **randomfandom000** because I'm sure she'll post something soon!

Also, I have two original stories on Wattpad, under the same username! I hope you liked the chapter. Expect the next one soon! I hope…


	4. Chapter 4

"Look out!" A blue eyed man called out. A black haired girl whipped her head up in time to jump away from a giant scorpion tail that crashed into the desert sand where she stood before.

"Luna!" called a purple exceed worriedly and flew over to the woman in a rush.

"Heat seeker!" The boy cried. Small flashes of light zipped from a bright orange magic circle to the scorpion in the sand, crashing into its shell and exploding against the overgrown creature. As the black shelled creature was sent flying further back, the boy ran to the girl's side.

"Red's gonna kill me, are you alright Luna?" The boy asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, just worry about the scorpion!" Luna ordered, petting her exceed Kiara. Her blue eye flared as her bangs swayed out of the way to reveal her left eye to be a poisonous violet. The brown haired boy suddenly heard an inhuman squeal and looked quickly behind him.

Just as he did, a massive whirlwind leapt up from the sand and swallowed the scorpion, hiding it from sight.

"Amber, now!" shouted a bald woman. Strings glinted in the desert sun, passing into the storm easily. The strings tightened around something and the scorpion screeched, before suddenly you could hear nothing but the roar of the wind. But just as suddenly as the storm had come, it was gone, leaving the scorpion buried beneath the sand.

"All this just to get to a sphinx." A boy with a spiky coif groaned, cracking his neck as he was set down by a purple, blue eyed exceed.

"Look at it this way, Nahliel, at least you're not bored!" A tall, brown eyed man laughed and Nahliel shoved him with his shoulder.

"Try saying that when you don't have glass to work for you, Clayton." Nahliel growled back. Then he turned his attention to the brunette helping the Wolf Slayer up. "Hey, James, how's the newbie doing?" He called.

"She's not that badly hurt, she'll be fine." He called back. Nahliel grumbled in boredom before he glanced at the bald woman and smirked.

"Hey, Beronira, why did you cut all your hair off again? I seem to keep forgetting why you choose to look so stupid." He called. She glared at him.

"I don't know, why, want me to cut off yours?" She retorted and he shielded his hair.

"No! Not my do!" He cried. His exceed, Sophie, glared angrily at the woman.

"Then stop asking." The weather mage growled. A blonde woman in a white, frilled Victorian dress grasped Beronira's shoulder.

"Just ignore him, you know how he is. I think you look good." She said, her smile reaching her light blue irises. Beronira smiled back at her and nodded a thanks.

Luna glanced at everyone before gesturing behind her.

"Well, are we going? I know that sphinx is never going anywhere, but our client is kinda desperate." She said.

"Oh, uh… y-yeah, let's go." Amber replied as Clayton started moving up a rocky path. Everyone followed soon after.

"Are you sure we can handle this? You know that sphinx's speak in riddles. If we answer incorrectly, we'll never get this job done." Beronira stated.

"I know. It'll be fine, though. When we find the sphinx, we'll work together to figure out the riddle." Clayton said, a sure smile on his face.

"But to work together, you must first be one with each other." A sort of hissing voice replied to them. The group snapped their heads up at the mountains rocks where the voice had come from.

There loomed a creature with a lion's body and the face of a beautiful woman with long, curly black hair sitting on the red rocks, baking beneath the desert sun. Her snake like eyes flit to each member of the group, analyzing them each carefully. "And to be one with each other, you must first be split apart." She continued, then leapt down to stand in the group's path, sitting on her haunches, waiting patiently.

Clayton cleared his throat. "There is a genie, in this desert, who has been creating illusions of Oasis' and leading travelers off their path. We were hoping you'd tell us where to find him." Clayton explained. The Sphinx locked her slit eyes with his and suddenly he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. She continued to stare at him, scrutinizing him for her own purposes.

"Answer my riddles and I shall answer yours. What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three in the evening?" She demanded.

"Man." Luna stated simply. She remembered reading stories with sphinx's when she was young. In almost every one, the sphinx used this riddle the most. The sphinx shifted her gaze to the black haired girl.

"Yes, indeed. The spirit you seek will not be found in this mountain, but in a hole in the ground, where his shrine once resided." She answered.

"How can we find this shrine?" Beronira asked and the sphinx eyed her next.

"Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters."

"The wind." Beronira answered. She knew a lot about wind and storms in general because of her magic. Thus the riddle was not difficult for her.

"Follow the breeze east of this place and his illusions shall not lead you astray, but beware when it stops, for then all you can do is pray." The sphinx spoke steadily, her tail swishing in the soil.

"Is… is there any way to counteract the illusions other than wind?" James asked nervously. The sphinx whipped her gaze to his sharply.

"This thing all things devours: Birds, beasts, trees, flowers; Gnaws iron, bites steel; grinds hard stones to meal. Slays king, ruins towns, and beats High Mountains down." The sphinx said sharply, a glint of laughter in its eye. James' eyes widened as he considered the answer, searching his mind for it. Something to devour all things or be devoured, slays kings. Death? No, death doesn't beat mountains down, but what does? A monster? A giant? Then what about the metal? Gnaws at the iron, bites at steel, and grinds hard stones to meal. An earth monster? Rust? No, rust forms over time if it's natural.

Suddenly he stopped. Time. Time wears a mountain down, time kills kings and beasts and trees, flowers, and everything decays over time, turns to dust. He looked up, hoping it was right.

"Time." He said quietly. The sphinx said nothing, just stared at him blankly. He swallowed nervously as the sphinx tilted its head and she hissed.

"This far out in the yellow sands, only time can cure thee of the spells hands." She replied. Clayton was about to bid a farewell to the tricky beast when Amber asked possibly the most important question.

"You… wouldn't happen to know where he's hid his vessel, would you? The object that's supposed to serve as his prison?" The sphinx gazed at her curiously, seeming to brood over something.

"I make you weak at the worst of all times. I keep you safe, I keep you fine. I make your hands sweat and your heart grow cold, I visit the weak, but seldom the bold." The sphinx asked. Amber felt herself speak before she could think it through all the way.

"Fear." She cringed when the word left her mouth, but couldn't help but agree with her decision. Everyone had fear, it turned the weak strong and made your hands sweat, your heart pound. Why wouldn't it be fear?

"He is not one to hide his prison it hides from him, in plain sight to those that are blind." The sphinx replied smoothly.

"Right, well, um, thank you for your time, we'll get going now." Amber laughed nervously and started walking away.

Luna stayed and locked eyes with the sphinx.

"Those who have caused pain are both far and near. Beware, for your fates will soon be here." The sphinx spoke finally before leaping back up the mountain. Luna stared after it. She could only think that this was only her first job and she had already faced a sphinx and been given a prophecy. A sphinx may speak in riddles, but from what she could tell the message that it sent was clear.

Watch your back.

…

"That sphinx didn't speak in very hard riddles." Beronira commented. The group was currently heading east as the sphinx had instructed. Clayton laughed at his guild mate, but his laugh died as he sensed something peculiar. A sort of warm reassuring presence.

"Do you feel that?" Clayton asked? Nahliel frowned and focused before he felt it too.

"It's in the wind. Beronira, what are you doing to the wind?" Nahliel demanded.

"I'm not doing anything. This magic is natures doing." She explained, having already known the moment the wind picked up. She felt oddly filled by it. Beronira was amazed when she realized what the wind carried in its currents.

"That explains how it chases off enchantments…" Clayton surmised.

"But what about the shrine or whatever that was made for the genie? Our client said nothing about that." Amber questioned.

"People are entitled to some things." James answered, even though he didn't quite agree with it either.

"But where are we supposed to find it?" Amber asked.

"I wish Marius were here. He'd find it in an instant." Nahliel said, snapping his fingers in emphasis.

No one noticed as the sand began to part, revealing a hatch down below. Not even Luna, who was distracted with her own thoughts, brooding over what the sphinx had said. Suddenly her foot met nothing but air and with a short squeal, she dropped into the hatch, causing everyone to turn around.

"Luna!" Amber cried and ran to the edge of the pit, followed closely by Kirara. Amber got on her knees in the burning sand to look over the side.

"Are you alright?!" Kirara called. Luna sat up and quickly checked for any injuries.

"I'm fine!" She called back as she stumbled and swayed to her feet. She looked around, seeing a tunnel on either side of her. "It looks like an underground passage!" She called, taking a closer look down one tunnel as she heard the ones up there rustling around to find something to pull her up with. She saw statues, of a four armed man with some sort of bottle in his lap and a turban on his head. "Hey, I think I found the entrance to the shrine!" She said.

It wasn't long before they had all followed her down into the passage. Once down, James rubbed his hands together, and murmured "Illumine." In his palm, a small, blossom of light steadily grew into a luminescent glow, which he threw down one passage, where it hovered just below the ceiling.

"That is the eastern passage, right?" James asked. Beronira nodded.

"The wind is still headed that direction. We can only assume that's where the genie is." She surmised, taking a deep breath. "But down here, we won't have the winds protection."

"Can't you summon some?" Clayton asked, but Beronira shook her head.

"It wouldn't be of any use. The magic in the eastern wind came from the desert itself. I couldn't control that, even if I'd wanted too. We're on our own." She answered truthfully. Nahliel scoffed.

"What, so it's too powerful for you?" Sophie sneered. Beronira turned to Nahliel and his exceed sharply, glaring.

"Don't insult me, and don't act stupid. We all know that our own magic and natural magic are two very different things. No one can simply control it by pushing the wind. It'd be the same as trying to use another person's magic through that very person." She snapped.

"Let's just get this job done, okay?" Amber anxiously laughed. In silent agreement, the others moved on. They followed the path, and soon the only light was James' magic.

"Nahliel, I'm hungry…" Sophie suddenly groaned, laying out on his head exhaustively. He reached up and pet her between the ears.

"I know, just hold on." He replied, feeling hungered and exhausted himself.

"What are you two talking about, we haven't been down here that long." Beronira stated.

"You must be joking." Amber groaned, holding her stomach. Beronira looked around at everyone in confusion, worried.

"It's got to be dark out by now." Kirara sighed. Luna nodded her agreement.

"Come on guys, cheer up. I'm sure we'll finish this job and be back home in no time!" Clayton chirped, smiling brightly despite the fact that he felt just as drained as the others. With an uneasy feeling in her chest, Beronira let the others go first and followed from close behind.

Merely minutes after that, Nahliel suddenly collapsed. The others responded sluggishly, but Sophie was the first to kneel at his side.

"He's unconscious." She said breathlessly. She raised her paws to try to heal him before wavering in her position and falling beside him. Just like that, one by one Beronira watched helplessly as her comrades fell to the ground and the light of the cave burned out. She cried out to them.

"James, Luna, Clayton! Someone, please, wake up!" But nothing worked. There was no sign they stirred. Her heart slowed as fear struck her. There was no help for miles and no way that she could get them all back on her own.

Was this the work of the genie? She felt her fear turn into a resolve and an anger. For there was only one being responsible and one thing she could do.

Carefully, she found her way to one side of the tunnel and felt her way along the wall, being sure not to bring any further harm to her friends. She walked along the tunnel, feeling where the wall caved to allow the statues to be carved in.

Suddenly her hand knocked something loose from one of the statues and it landed on the ground with a clink. Instinctively, Beronira looked down, seeing light reflect off the sharp edges of a crystalline bottle. She picked it up, examining it curiously in the dim light.

Wait, she thought, light?

Beronira looked back up to the passage ahead of her. Further through the darkness she saw a faint light, outlining a door. With determination she clutched the crystal container in her hand and stuffed it in her pocket, remembering what the sphinx had said before approaching the door. She gave it a fierce kick, swinging the slabs of wood wide open.

Inside sat a man with black, slicked back hair and a black and blue tuxedo. He had a cup of tea in his hand and was taking a sip when the woman entered. Yet somehow he seemed unsurprised by her entrance.

"Honestly, that was really unnecessary. It was open." He said calmly. Beronira scowled, feeling a breeze begin to generate around her body. "Still, I'd like to know how you avoided the effects of my spell, little girl." He said, gently setting down his drink, standing to his feet and holding his hand on his hip.

"Who cares, so long as I can drag your sorry ass back into your vessel and end this nightmare you've caused." She scowled. The genie laughed.

"My, my, such vulgar language. I suggest you hold your tongue unless you wish for your friends to die." He said and snapped his fingers. In puffs of smoke, her friends stood behind him, dazed and empty looks in their eyes. Beronira's eyes widened and she clenched her teeth. The genie giggled.

"Now then, shall we play a game? Who shall I throw at you first?"

* * *

**A/N:** Woo hoo! Sorry, wow, I didn't think it would be so hard to split from the first group! It's not just painful to read and bear, but also to write! My heart was torn in two! XD Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it took so long, the next one shouldn't. I'm warming up to these characters.

Speaking of, introducing the cast!

"Amber Silver" from a **guest**!

"James Warston" also from a **guest**!

"Beronira Falida" from **AkumaxHwaorang**!

"Nahliel Redgrave" and his exceed "Sophie" from **Nahliel Michelangelo Sparda**!

"Clayton Notre" from **reven228**!

And the reintroduction of "Luna DarkHeart" and her twin tailed exceed "Kiara" from **Ice Ninja Luna**!

By the way, if you wanna see what Athena, Sam and Alex look like, go to these links

art/Alexander-Nighthawk-530009263

art/Samuel-Bastion-530007458

art/Athena-Temotha-530004282

See ya next time!


	5. Chapter 5

"Now then, shall we play a game? Who shall I throw at you first?" Beronira clenched her fist, glowering at the spirit before her. The genie watched her expression with delight before he turned to examine the lifeless faces of the people standing behind him. "I know," He started, walking over to Clayton and gripped his face in his hand. "How about the Glass Make Mage?" He said. Beronira felt suddenly cold inside. Not just dread that she would have to fight one of her friends from her beloved guild, but also that this creature seemed to already know what their magic was.

What else did he know?

"Yes, I think this one will do very nicely." He hummed and let go of his face. He stepped back a few feet and snapped is fingers once. For a moment, nothing happened, but suddenly Clayton's eyes widened in horror and he screamed in anguish, releasing a wave of magical pressure that threatened to push Beronira back. The woman held her arms up to shield herself. As soon as the release of energy let up, Beronira looked up in time to dodge a barrage of glass shards. She looked as the stuck to the walls and looked back up at the man whom had attacked her. The expression she saw there was an expression she had never seen and had never expected to see on his face.

His eyes were dark and angry, tears streaked from them and down his face as he glared distantly at Beronira.

"Clayton…" Beronira said softly, wondering what in the world could have brought this on. He had to have been seeing an Illusion. She knew him, he'd never hurt his friends. Next thing she knew, he was speaking the name of a spell with a hoarse, quiet, desolate voice, a deep sadness and anger resonating from it.

"Weapon's creation." The sound of his words hung heavy in the air as in his hand formed a beautiful, clear glass rapier. He rushed toward her and Beronira quickly dodged. If there was one thing she knew about Clayton, he never had strength or speed on his side, but he was still a capable enemy. If she could somehow get through to him…

"Clayton, wake up!" She shouted. Instead of a response, she ducked as he swung his blade at her head. "Clayton, stop! Whatever you're seeing, it isn't real!" She cried. She jumped back when he brought his blade down, but sliced her shoulder in her escape. She realized then that she had to gain herself time to talk to him if he was ever going to hear her.

"Shard Ripple!" He cried. His blade seemed to liquefy and split apart, sharpening into shards that floated around his head. The shot toward her like bullets, some tearing through her clothing and slicing her skin, some shattering behind her and the shard crumbs sliced at her too. The last shad to be shot at her imbedded itself deep in her arm and she cried out.

"You'll pay for what you did to Jean." He growled darkly. Beronira's breath hitched in her throat and she looked up at him. Jean? Wasn't that his sister that lived with their mom? She didn't have much time to think about it as the Genie sighed.

"This is getting boring. You two need another playmate." He said and eyed the group once again. He smirked and snapped his fingers. Beronira watched them all nervously. Seconds felt like hours as her heart beat loudly in her chest. Clayton was difficult enough to avoid fighting, she didn't want to know who else she'd have to face.

Luna stepped forward, her head bowed to the floor and Beronira's heart stopped. The black haired woman looked up and glared in anger at the weather mage on the floor. The Wolf Slayer leapt forward and her hand emitted a pale glow.

"Moon Wolf's Claw!" She cried and Beronira jumped off the ground, away from the attack. She felt the shad in her arm tear into her flesh further and winced, gripping the glass. She knew that she would regret it, but she tore the shard from her arm and threw the bloodied glass away.

"Bright assault!" Clayton called and Beronira looked around as slabs of glass lined up. She jumped out of the way as light magnified from them. Once she landed she turned and held her hand out to the glass.

"Flurry!" She cried and a blast of snow instantly formed and released, freezing and shattering the glass.

"Moon Wolf's tail attack!" Luna cried out and landed a forceful kick in the center Beronira's back, knocking her into the wall across the room. She grunted as she fell to the ground and picked herself up. Beronira struggled back to her feet, her spine groaning in protest from any movement. She looked back up to the two attacking her, seeing their eyes with the same distance in them. They were somewhere else entirely, seeing different things. The woman's eyes drifted to the genie, whom sat leisurely on his couch, watching with amusement. How long before he decided to turn them on each other? Somehow, she had to keep the interest on her. She had to play his game, and in some twisted sense she knew that was the only way to protect them.

But what if she herself was hallucinating. What if she was really lying back in the tunnel with the rest of her friends? Or worse, if they all were attacking each other? There really was no way of knowing. Her eyes locked back onto the mages in front of her. She had to at least try. She breathed in deeply.

She couldn't afford to be worried about their wellbeing right now. She had to free her friends. And as much as her mind protested, there was only way to ensure she could attack him without actually aiming a shot at him. She gathered the energy around her, feeling the atmosphere begin to crackle with static electricity.

She could only hope her friends didn't get too badly hurt.

"Thunder strike." She said. The ceiling shook, dust falling as the sound of something powerful striking the earth above. The genie looked up as another bombarded the room, and another. The next forced the ceiling to crack. Beronira opened her eyes and lunged at Luna first, forcing her backwards toward Clayton.

The ceiling broke and a bright flash of lightning ripped through the air in the center of the room. Clayton erected a barrier of glass around himself, Luna trapped inside as well. A loud crack sounded from above and a streak of light crashed into the room once again. Beronira leapt to the stunned Genie threw a punch to his face. At the last second, he leaned away from her incoming fist and grabbed her wrist, holding it tightly. He raised his other hand and snapped his fingers for the third time that day, sending the others into their own personal nightmares.

But Beronira's goal remained the same.

She thought about the feelings she had when she'd witnessed her friends collapsing in the tunnel. Remembered the anger and fear she felt as she realized that they would get hurt. The realization that some of them had already been through unspeakable pain, her feeling of empathy. She remembered the old woman from when she was a child, and remembered how the village had sided with her. She'd felt so relieved when she finally found Beast Talon. She could be around those that shared her struggles, those that understood her. It was so different than when she was home, and she never wanted to lose anyone.

So she'd fight to defend them, fight to keep them safe. She had to fight for her new home, her new life, and any new friend that came along.

All those feeling that stormed inside her, she summoned to the surface. Her chest felt warm and heavy with the weight of it all and she used it as her strength. And with that strength, she knocked her hand into his face and made him let go of her wrist, stumbling back several feet. At just the same moment, lightning struck the crumbling ceiling he'd moved under. The rock crumbled and fell on top of him, burying him under great piles of sand.

Beronira sighed in relief. Finally, she had freed her friends of the Genies spell.

Or so she thought. For that was when she saw strings come around in her peripheral vision as they sang. Her eyes widened before she screwed them shut and she held up her arms.

She'd defeated the genie, so why hadn't it worked? Was she really going to be killed by one of her closest friends?

Suddenly, Beronira felt herself being lifted into the air and she opened her eyes. Amber weaved her strings around the rocks that were going to fall on the others of the group, making them crack into smaller fragments. She looked around as glass domes formed around everyone still on the ground and Luna worked to get everyone to wake up. Beronira looked up and saw Kirara holding her by the back of her shirt and smiling back at her. The weather mage felt a huge weight lift off her chest.

The exceed set Beronira back on the ground where she met with everyone else.

"Thank goodness you're all alright!" She exclaimed with a smile. They flashed their own smiles and smirks at her.

"Thanks to you." Clayton said, grinning brightly.

"We're sorry about attacking you." Luna said, looking down at the sand, her brow furrowed. Beronira gripped her shoulder.

"You weren't to know it was me. That Genie had you under his spell. I could only act quickly before you all woke up." Beronira said. Nahliel walked over to look over the side of the pit that was created.

"Looks like we didn't need to know where the vessel was after all." He said, seeing nothing but rubble. "We'd never find it in this mess anyway." Beronira remembered the flask in her pocket and pulled it out, surprised to see it still intact.

"I think this was it anyways." She said, holding it out for the others to see. But as she stretched out her arm, she felt the wound in her arm shift and winced, remembering painfully it was there. She gripped it firmly to try and stop the bleeding.

"You're bleeding!" Amber exclaimed and inspected her arm.

"It's nothing to worry about. I'm lucky I didn't pull an artery." Beronira laughed weakly.

"Sophie, looks like you're up." Nahliel said to his exceed. She nodded and flew to land on Amber's shoulder.

"Hold still." The exceed said held out her paws as she would to a fire. A small white light enveloped her paws and Beronira's wound.

Something made a loud crack from the pit, capturing everyone's focus.

"Don't think you're done with me yet…" Someone panted from the sky. Looking up, Amber saw the Genie, blood running down from his hairline and the rest of his body looking battered and beaten. Nahliel turned to Beronira.

"Give me the flask!" He demanded. Beronira opened her hand and he snatched the object from her grasp. He flicked open the glass lid and the Genie screeched. Starting from his feet and crawling upwards, his body turned to smoke and was sucked into the crystalline bottle.

"No, not yet! I'm not finished here yet!" He cried his last as he was dragged into his tiny prison. Quickly shutting the lid and careful not to rub the crystal, Nahliel sighed in relief. You could still hear the Genie's voice from inside the bottle as he beat against it sides, begging to be let out.

"I really hope this isn't an illusion." James said.

"I don't think so. For whatever reason, his illusions wouldn't work on me. I think we really got him." Beronira said. Kirara hollered in happiness.

"Our first job was a success Luna!" She cried, flying around the Moon Wolf Slayer excitedly. Once the exceed had stopped and perched herself on the dark haired woman's shoulder, Luna pat the twin tailed cat on the head.

"Calm down, we haven't even gotten our reward yet." Luna said.

"Speaking of which, we should probably hide this thing and head back." Nahliel said, gesturing to the flask with the still crying Genie.

"No, we should probably have it sent to the council. At least there it has a better chance of never being opened again." Clayton said. The Genie cried louder and tears spilled out from the flasks opening. Nahliel closed the cap tighter with a growl.

"Hey! Knock it off!" He snapped. Beronira and the others laughed at him and he shouted at them too, which only made them laugh harder.

As she smiled brightly, Beronira couldn't help but wonder how she wasn't affected by the Genie's magic in the first place. She felt the wind caress her cheek and looked up, feeling the warming presence of the land. It was that moment she knew, she had the wind to thank for her ability to resist the Genie's tricks and smiled again.

Once Sophie finished Healing Beronira's arm, the group collected their reward, tightly wrapped the Genies flask in a package and boarded the next train home.

…

James entered the post office and set the package on the desk.

"Can I have this sent directly to the magic council's vaults please?" He asked.

"Certainly," said the postal woman sitting in front of him. "Might I ask what's inside?" She asked.

"It's a Genie trapped in a bottle. My comrades and I just sealed it back in its prison when we were on a job." James replied.

"I'm going to have to see some identification." She said. James hesitantly pulled down the collar of his black t-shirt, revealing the orange Guild Mark on his collar bone. The postal woman nodded and took the package.

"I'll have this taken to the council right away. I have some mail here for your guild too, if you would like to take it now." She said. James nodded and was handed the handful of requests and notices.

Arriving at the guild, he spotted the guild master at the table, chatting with Keiko and her exceed as they took over for Genji at the bar.

"Hey, Red!" He called, gaining the blondes attention. He walked up to her and held out the handful of mail. "Picked this up while I was at the post office." He said.

"Thanks James, I'll sort through it." She said and he walked away. She turned her attention to the requests, sorting them out from the other mail. As she set a request in the pile separate from the mail she had to open later, her eyes fell upon a letter with familiar handwriting. She picked it up, staring at the name written large and clear on the envelope. "Lucy…" She whispered.

"What'd you say?" Keiko asked, her light blue eyes gazing at her guild master curiously while her exceed, Aqui, moved to look at the letter in her hand. Red shook her head.

"Just a letter from an old friend." She waved off their concern and tucked the letter neatly in her pocket to go back to later. She sorted through the last of the mail and requested that Aqui put up the requests as soon as she could before heading up to her office.

Once the door was closed she opened the letter.

_Meet us in Magnolia. No matter what the Master said, we're bringing Fairy Tail back._

_Lucy Heartfilia_

Red smiled. Natsu must have finally come back. Gently, she folded the letter back up and set it on her desk, reaching for another envelope.

She heard voices pick up back outside before Amber rushed into her office.

"Master…" She panted. Red stood up without a second thought and marched past the girl to look over the railing outside.

Down below, many of the guild members were crowding around something by the door. Red rushed down stairs to get a closer look.

In the middle of the crowd crouched a boy with long silver hair. When he looked at her, she noticed his eyes were different colors, one violet, and the other was lime green. His clothes were torn and bloody and he looked awfully lost.

"Where am I?" He asked. Red furrowed her brow, and crouched in front of the boy.

"You're in Beast Talon. Can you tell me your name?" Red asked gently. The boy looked at her as his eyes began to droop.

"I don't…. Who am I?" He asked before his joints buckled and he fell unconscious on the floor.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! I finished the next chapter!

The two new characters are

"Keiko Ikeda" and her Exceed "Aqui" from **GenGenCoop**!

And the nameless boy (Who I will name later) from **fall-outboy97**!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm slowly getting better at drawing out fight scenes (the ones I write happen so fast)! See ya next time with new characters! Again… XD


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Yay! Final set of character introduction! Just FWI, the original Basilisk's of legend did have six legs, so that's why I did this. Enjoy the show!

* * *

"Lava Dragon's Molten Fist!" A muscular male with scarlet, spikey hair cried and landed a lava covered fist to the serpentine head of a six legged Basilisk. With an ear splitting screech the Basilisk reared its melting head back in attempt to shake off the intense heat of molten rock. A tall shadow of a man was in the sky, being held by a smaller shadow with bird like wings.

"Payton, now!" And the tall figure was dropped from the sky, the shadows parting to show his brown hair and green eyes. His fist was drawn back as a white, cold mist gathered around it. "Seasonal Dragon's Winter Fist!" He cried and collided his magic in the same spot on the snake like creature, effectively giving it a freeze burn as it hissed even louder than before.

"My turn!" A young girl with light brown hair said, whipping out a silver key. "Open, gate of the Chisel! Caelum!" In a plume of golden light, a metallic sphere with a silver halo floating above it appeared in the air before the girl. "Sword Form!" She ordered and in a flash of light, Caelum transformed from a sphere into a long, chisel like sword with the halo surrounding the mid part of the blade and a handle for wielding on the bottom. Grabbing the handle, she leapt forward and knocked the blade into the writhing creature, sending it flying into another battle.

A black wolf the size of a lion kicked at the reptilian creature with its hind legs, effectively rendering it incapable of fighting any longer as it was knocked into one of the forests many tree's. The wolf turned its head sharply and glared metallic gray eyes at the Celestial mage who waved back sheepishly.

"Sorry Wyrin!" She called. The wolf turned its head back to its own fight with living vegetation, quickly seeing that her help was no longer necessary as a young man with black hair called the final attack.

"Blood Dragon's Wing Attack!" Long whips of a dark, red liquid lashed out at the writhing and roiling greenery, severing each and every one as they fell limply to the ground.

"Hey, Akashi!" Called the Blood Dragon Slayer. The crimson haired man poked his head out from behind a tree with a gold furred cat lazily sprawled out on his shoulder, the two blinking at the Black haired man. "I'm pretty sure we're done here. Let's wrap this up and head home!" Akashi waved with a smile.

"Wahoo!" Called the brown haired young man. "C'mon Rosie! Let's go home!" He called to the Celestial mage, identical to his image. The girl rolled her blue eyes but followed after the taller boy anyways.

"Pipe down Kuro, it's not like you haven't seen the guild for weeks." Growled a dark skinned, black haired woman. She turned back to the battle ground she stood on. "Hey, Raven, hurry up or you'll be left behind." She grumbled to the black haired male.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, don't get fussy, Wyrin." He smiled, earning a sharp glare from the woman.

"Don't call me fussy." She growled. "I knew I shouldn't have come along, it was just a waste of time."

"You three were the ones who wanted an S-Class mission." Akashi called back, his sharp hearing picking up on her comment. "Raven and I were more than happy to comply though." He smiled.

"I only came along because Rosie asked me too." She grumbled lowly with a small blush on her face. "This hardly even qualifies as S-Class, though!" Wyrin exclaimed, trying to cover up her embarrassment. Raven smiled, pretending to not have heard her quiet comment.

"Did you see my little sister kick some serious butt though?!" The boy Kuro exclaimed, wrapping his arm around the short brunette walking beside him and playfully rubbing his knuckles in her head. She fought to rid herself of his grip as he laughed.

"Knock it off! I'm not little anymore!" She exclaimed, finally having succeeded in shoving her brother off and attempted fixing her hair while a black and white colored exceed rested on her shoulder between the siblings.

The group quickly double checked the forest that surrounded them for any more powerful monsters before returning to the town and receiving their reward before heading home, the train ride making all the boys severely sick.

Upon arriving back to the guild the group quickly noticed the heavy silence filling the air.

"Hey, we're home!" Akashi called, bringing a bright smile to his face and hoping the mood would lift a bit. When people merely said hi back and gave halfhearted smiles in return, Rosie furrowed her brow and walked over to the bar, followed by her brother and their Exceed, Payton, where Keiko was cleaning a glass that had had already been made crystal clear.

"Did something happen?" Rosie whispered, bringing the blue haired girl out of her thoughts. Looking down at her hands she quickly put the glass away before answering the fourteen year old girl.

"A boy stumbled in here this morning, all beaten up and no memory what so ever. Everyone's just worried I guess." Keiko told the girl. Rosie pursed her lips in a sympathetic look and reached out to the older girl.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. What's a few scratches and memory loss?" Rosie asked, trying to help keep her optimistic. She may be fourteen, but she understood more than most people thought. Keiko smiled with a nod.

"Anyway," She started, changing the subject with a heavy breath. "How'd the job go?" Keiko asked. Kuro smiled from behind his sister.

"It went well, the villagers were happy to be freed from all those Basilisk's." Kuro said.

"And we were sure to get enough venom for the cure so every one of the villagers that had been poisoned are going to recover nicely." Rosie reported happily. Keiko nodded.

"I heard their venom is very poisonous and rare to get a hold of. The creatures themselves are too dangerous to approach, so the mission was labeled S-Class for the more capable mages. I trust that none of you got bitten?" Keiko asked. Rosie shook her head.

"A few bruises and scratches here and there from some unexpected forest Vulcan and carnivorous vegetation, but nothing poisonous." Rosie smiled.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it." Keiko responded with a small smile. She let her eyes drift up to the infirmary, where she knew the boy would be lying unconscious. Rosie followed her gaze, feeling a tug in her chest at the thought of someone hurt. She knew they were no Fairy Tail, but that didn't mean they didn't care for those in need.

"Keik!" Called a small, green furred exceed as it landed right next to the other exceed of the group on the counter. "I finished putting up the new jobs." She said, successfully gaining both girls attention.

"Oh, awesome! I'm going to go pick one out for us!" Kuro exclaimed with a happy smile.

"Here you go Aqui, one for you too Payton." Keiko said with a smile and brought out a salmon for each of them. "You earned it." She added as Kuro started to run towards the board.

"No you don't!" she said, tugging on the strings of his blue sweatshirt and successfully pulling him back. "We just got back from a mission, an _S-Class_ at that. We are not going on another one for at least a couple days." Rosie told him with a scowl. The Celestial mage actually liked going on missions with her brother, but not right after another like he was suggesting.

Why did Dragon Slayers have such boundless energy? It's hard for a fourteen year old to keep up!

"Aw, but Rosie!" He pouted. Keiko starred between the two of them and couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.

"It's hard to tell who the older sibling of you two is." She laughed. The brunettes looked at each other before smiling and laughing with their blue haired guild mate.

Akashi, having overheard their conversation from where he was, looked up to the infirmary.

"You worried?" Beronira asked, coming up behind him. Akashi wasn't surprised she was there and merely nodded his head.

"Maybe a bit." He said. The weather mage bumped the slayer's broad shoulder with her own and stood next to him.

"He came in with a few bruises and scratches, but Nahliel and Sophie are up there with him. He should be alright when he comes back around." Beronira reassured.

"What about his memory though?" He asked, remember Keiko saying he couldn't remember anything.

"Ah, well, that we're not sure about. It could be temporary but, he had a pretty hard blow to his head that likely caused it. All in all, it's hard to tell." Beronira sighed.

Suddenly, there was loud crash from upstairs and the two mages looked at each other before rushing up the stairs, followed by Rosie, Kuro, Keiko and their respective exceeds.

They all were met with the sight of Nahliel, clutching his exhausted looking exceed to his chest, his fist shrouded in the writhing shadows of his magic. In front of him was a skeletal looking ghost, standing with its boney back facing a silver haired teen, cowering on the bed. Fearful, multicolored eyes looked up. Upon seeing them, the panic increased and suddenly, there were two more skeletal ghosts in the door way. Kuro shielded his sister and jumped back while Keiko's hand became shrouded in a bubble of water and Akashi and Beronira jumped back a few feet.

That was when the undead soldiers advanced on them.

* * *

**A/N:** I am so sorry this chapter is so short, but I really had nothing else planned! Finally, I can list off the last characters and go back to Athena and her crew. Sorry this one only lasted a chapter, but I have something planned! Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it!

I hope you enjoyed! Here are the new characters.

"Akashi Rensaki" and his exceed "Anton" (sorry he wasn't featured more, I'll try harder next time) belong to _alatjir95_

"Raven Florence" belongs to a Guest

"Wyrin Feller" belongs to _Guest-Wolf_

"Kurokuso Shinora" and "Rose Shinora" as well as their exceed "Payton" all belong to _ThePersonOfNothing_

Again, thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Hey, sorry this one took so long. Truth be told, I've been neglecting all my stories over the summer. I guess summer is more of a drawing time for me. But, here it is now! I hope you enjoy, and this is the last character to be officially introduced! They made a short appearance in the very first chapter, but now they are back! I hope you like them! After all, they are mine. ;)

* * *

_**READ ENDING AUTHORS NOTE FOR IMPORTANT ANOUNCMENTS!**_

Silent feet landed on the apartment floor as a cloaked person ducked into the room through the window. The figure froze upon seeing the people lying beneath the covers of the beds and crouched in the shadows, searching for any sign that their silent intrusion had somehow managed to wake them.

After a few minutes of listening to their steady, quiet breathing, the hooded figure was satisfied that they had not done anything to wake the sleeping occupants and began to look around the room, seeming to be searching for something specific.

Daring to step further into the room, they inched closer to the bags that lie near the beds, reaching to look inside.

"Now!" One of the girls lying in bed launched from their place of rest and tackled the cloaked person to the ground. The figure in the hood reacted quickly and fought against the one restraining them, but the lights were flicked on and the brunette girl dressed in pink pajama bottoms and a white tank top pinning the intruder had found a something to bind their hands with.

Once bound, the figures captor, Athena, let them go, to which they quickly scooted away and pressed themselves against the far wall, chest heaving with their furious breathes.

"Monnie, go get the boys, alright?" Athena asked the peach furred exceed. Monnie nodded and conjured his wings before flying quickly out of the room. Meanwhile, Genji, dressed in a black tank top, a hazard sign on it and green sweat pants with her hair tied up, Katelin, clad in a baggy t-shirt and spanks, and Athena all sat in front of the hooded intruder.

"Should we take down their hood?" Genji asked.

"Let's wait for the boys before we do anything." Katelin responded. Athena stared the figure down suspiciously, her curiosity peeking now that they actually had them sitting still in one place. She was anxious to find out just who was staring back from beneath

The person under the hood didn't move as the shadows veiled their face from view. The tapping of running feet was heard from the hall and suddenly the door was thrown open, revealing Alex, dressed only in a pair of black boxers and an eager smile plastered on his face.

"So we got 'em?!" He asked excitedly. The intruder's hood shifted slightly as they turned their head towards the open the door. Alex came rushing into the room with a grumbling Remy, dressed in black, banana patterned PJ's, walking in behind him. Marius walked in not a moment after, dressed in a white shirt and his boxers. He immediately pinned the cloaked figure with a suspicious look.

"You know, maybe you should speak a little louder, I'm not sure the whole building heard you." Remy said.

"What'd you say, fleebag?" Alex snapped.

"You wanna run that by me again, phony prince?" Remy seethed.

"Knock it off you two." Katelin commanded calmly, immediately stepping between them before either could act. "Remy has a point, we should keep it down. Where's Sam?" She asked.

"Here." The man in question responded, stepping in to the room clad only in a pair of green army pants. The Intruder immediately caught sight of the silver key tied around his neck by a leather rope.

They didn't hesitate to lunge, the sudden movement causing their hood to slip off. Sam dodged a silver blur and the intruder knocked their chin on the ground, turning over onto their back and revealing their face.

A young woman with waist length silver hair aimed a fierce, golden eyed glare directly at the tall, blonde man. Her ankle length skirt and skin tight band around her bust were torn at the hems, and her tan cloak was just as tattered as she crouched low to the ground. She moved to lunge at him again.

"H-hey! Hold on!" Sam exclaimed as he dodged her again. She faced him a third time but was quickly pinned to the ground by Athena. She struggled to push the Dragon Slayer off in her furry.

"No!" Came a sudden cry and Athena felt something small and soft crash into her back. "Leave her alone!" The brown haired girl turned to see a crimson exceed beating against her back angrily with tightly closed eyes.

"Lyla?!" The girl below Athena suddenly exclaimed. Alex walked over to the scene and plucked the cat off his friend by the back of her shirt. "Don't touch her!" With a new found strength, the stranger with silver hair pushed off the brown haired girl and shoved her shoulder into the silver eyed boy's stomach, effectively knocking the air from his lungs.

"Athena!" Monnie cried with tears brimming in his eyes.

"Alex!" Kirito exclaimed at the same time. The golden eyed girl broke the bonds holding her wrists together and jumped towards the slayer still holding onto the red furred cat.

Remy acted off impulse. Activating his magic, his hands grew fur and his nails sharpened into claws as he jumped forward.

"Rem, wait!" The back haired boy stopped at Katelin's voice, his claw inches away from a pair of golden eyes. She glowered at him, unfazed by his proximity as she clutched the exceed, Lyla, to her chest, shielding her with her body. Lyla also gazed at him with wide, trembling blue eyes and Remy realized what he'd almost done.

_Their terrified gazes should have made him feel something, yet somehow he just felt empty._

Why was this time different from back then?

Suddenly the intruder nimbly leapt around him and over the silver eyed Dragon Slayer before leaping out the closed window, shattering the glass. As she fell to the street below, her cloak caught on the sharp edges left on the window and was torn from her body. Marius rushed to the window and looked out in time to see the last flash of silver strands as they disappeared behind the buildings along the road that lead to the forest.

"Athee!" Monnie exclaimed, crashing into her chest. "Are you okay?" He asked hysterically. Athena rubbed his head affectionately.

"Yeah, I'm alright. How about you Alex?" She called, turning to the Black Dragon Slayer as he sat up.

"Damn, she's stronger than she looks." He mumbled under his breath as Kirito landed next to him.

"You know I heard that, right?" Athena deadpanned, making Alex jump.

"I'll live." He said with faint dusting of pink on his cheeks and quickly decided to change the subject as he jumped to his feet. "We should go after her!" He cried, getting ready to jump out the window. However, Marius grabbed his shoulder.

"Not so fast, you need to slow down." He said calmly.

"And why's that?" Alex demanded.

"Because you need to rest. Bedside's, you don't even know her scent. There's no point in trying to track her in the dark." Katelin said.

"That's not what you said when we got here." Alex deadpanned.

"That's because we didn't know what or who we were looking for. I thought we had a better chance of finding them if we did the same as the villagers." Katelin explained. Alex deflated before his eyes caught sight of the tattered cloth still hooked to the window. Without a word, he grabbed the cloak and held it up to his nose, breathing deeply to catch the scent. Then his eyes widened.

"What's the matter Alex?" Kirito suddenly asked, catching his foster father's expression. He lowered the cloak and stared at it in his grasp.

"She…" He looked up to the others who were now staring at him. "She smells like a Dragon."

…

"What?!" Alex exclaimed furiously. "What do you mean I can't go after her?! Wouldn't it be better for both of us to search?! Or better yet, if it has to be one, send me!"

"Look, this is the best option. We need you here in case she decides to show up in town for some reason." Katelin reasoned, keeping completely calm despite the silver eyed boy's outburst.

"But he does have a point, why can't he go? I'd rather stay in town than trudge through that forest." Athena asked, pointing at herself with a blank expression.

"Because you're more level headed than Alex is. It's true that with Kirito's speed, Alex would be able to find them faster. But after last night, he's far too excited. Someone would need to be there to hold him back, but someone has to stick back here to search as well. It's much easier for you and Monnie to search the forest with Sam, since he's the one we entrusted with her key. Not to mention Monnie should be able to hear her thoughts, so she couldn't sneak up on you as easily as she did us three." Katelin explained. _Not to mention that key seems astonishingly important to her, judging by her reaction last night._ The auburn haired girl thought, remembering the stranger's actions. _She was so violent about it, but she seemed almost deathly patient before Sam walked in. And then the way she shielded that exceed. She could've easily attacked Alex and he would have been completely defenseless, but her only concern was the cat._ Her eyes narrowed as she thought. _Just who is that girl?_

Little did she know, that would be the first of many times anyone would ask that question about others.

Athena sighed heavily.

"Alright then, fair enough. Hand over that cloak." Athena ordered. Alex glared at her.

"I'm the king of the Dragon Slayers, I don't have to follow orders from you." He declared, refusing to give up the clothing in his hand. With a hard punch to the back of his head, Athena took the cloak from him and left him in a twitching heap on the ground. She lifted the tan cloth to her sensitive nose, inhaling deeply and committing the scent to memory.

After a few moments, she looked back up at the man in armor, waiting patiently with the silver key still hanging over his breast plate. She then looked to the peach furred exceed that she felt land softly on her shoulder and smiled.

"Let's go." She said confidently and began walking in the direction of the forest.

"Meet back here by sundown if you don't find anything!" Katelin called as she watched the pair walk away before she heard Marius talk from right beside her.

"You're practically using Sam as bait." He stated calmly. Katelin shrugged.

"Even if I am, there's no guarantee she's currently in the forest anyhow."

"And that's why Alex is here. You know that if she tries to make another break for it, Alex could probably keep up with her." The Notus mage concluded once more.

"Again, no guarantee, especially if she really is a Slayer like Athena and Alex. Although, that does bring up another troubling thought." Katelin said, beginning to think again as Genji tried patting Alex on the head like a child to cheer him up. "In the forest, I saw her use two different types of magic." She said, referring to when there was a bright flash just before the girls kick landed and to when she'd used water to stop Genji's attack. "Even if she is a Slayer, it's currently impossible to tell what element she specializes in. It could be something absurd like a color, much like Alex but it's more than likely something natural, in which case she'd be closer to Athena." Katelin hummed in deep thought.

"How about we get a name before we try and figure out her magic. That sounds a ton easier." Remy said, coming up to stand next to her. Katelin took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah, alright, I was just thinking." She sighed out.

"You do way too much of that." Remy retorted.

"And you don't seem to do enough." Genji replied for the freckled girl with a smirk on her face. Before Remy could throw an insult of his own her way, Katelin spoke up again.

"Alright! How about we split up to cover more ground. Marius, Genji, you go with Alex and look around the west side of town. Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble. Remy and I will scout out the east. If you don't find anything—"

"By sundown, we'll meet back here, we got it." Genji interrupted, waving her hand with a kind smile. Katelin smiled back and nodded. "See ya later then!" Genji waved and walked away.

"Come on, Alex." Marius sighed. "You too Kirito."

"But why can't we go to the forest With Athena, Monnie and Sam?" Alex moaned with a depressed expression on his face.

"Because it's what the group decided, now stop whining." Genji replied.

Begrudgingly, Alex went along with them.

They searched their side of town high and low, checking each area several times. They spent hours doing this (the boys flirting with a few women along the way), before Alex finally decided it was enough.

"This is pointless, what are we doing hanging around here?!" He exclaimed with a low growl. Marius sighed heavily as Genji shook her head.

"Oh come on, it's only noon, at least have a little more patience." Genji suggested. Alex huffed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He'd never admit it, but the reason he was so agitated was because of what had happened the other day. It was obvious Athena and the others had had somewhat of a hard time when the stranger had caught them off guard. He hated to see his friends hurt, and now that he knew who'd done it, all he wanted to pay the back for what they did.

But how could he do that when he was stuck in town!?

The Dark mage ran his hands through his unruly hair in frustration. He looked around the crowded street once more in search of that girl. His nose was hopeless with so many other scents, such as perfumes, different food ingredients and just pungent people around. Not that he couldn't do it, but it was just more difficult than it would have been in the forest.

"Well I've got nothing. Oi, Marius, what about—" It was that moment that he noticed the other male of the group was missing. "Where'd he go?" Alex questioned. Genji looked up, realizing as well that he was missing.

"He must've wandered off again." She replied. Alex scoffed.

"Kirito, let's look from above." Alex suggested.

"You got it!" He exclaimed and gripped the back of Alex's shirt before lifting him into the air.

"Alex, we're supposed to be sticking together!" Genji cried.

"Forget it! Marius already walked away, plus we can cover more ground this way!" Alex called back.

"That's not the point! If you approach our target on your own, you'll…" She trailed off when he flew away. "Idiot, we'll never catch her this way." Genji grumbled. But seeing as she wouldn't convince him anytime soon, she began to search the street again.

Meanwhile, Alex's keen eyes scanned street after street for either the mysterious girl or his missing team mate, to see if he'd had any luck. The crowds weren't as heavy as they were from bellow, which made sorting through them much easier, even without his nose to guide him. Plus, being up in the air gave him the chance to clear his senses.

"You see anything?" Alex asked his exceed. The winged cat shook his head in response.

"Nothing." He replied. Alex cursed under his breath, glaring down at the ground, still searching for any sign of his goal. "Wait…" Alex looked up at his partner. The exceed nodded back to the ground. "Isn't that Athena over there?" He said. Alex turned his attention back to the earth, searching for the familiar brunette. When he'd found her, he furrowed his brow. What was she doing back in town?

"Let's go." Alex said. Wordlessly, Kirito complied, flying nearer to the street as Alex called out to the girl. She appeared to have been buying something from a stall. When she didn't turn to him before he'd landed, he called to her again. "Hey, Athena, what are you doing here? I thought you were scouring the forest with Sam." Alex asked, staring at her back. Her head only slightly turned towards him as she replied.

"Yeah, I was, but I, uh… had to come back and get something." She said.

"Any luck finding the girl from last night?" He asked, stepping to the side so he could look at her face but she turned away from him.

"No, I… haven't found her yet." She stammered. Alex raised an eyebrow at her odd behavior and looked around, realizing there was something missing.

"Where's Monnie?" Kirito suddenly asked.

"Uh… waiting for me back in the forest." She said uncertainly. Alex's frown deepened as she still refused to turn towards him.

"Why won't you look at me, is something the wrong?" Alex asked, taking a step closer. Athena stayed silent for a moment, only breaking it to inhale deeply. Then she turned to him, her eyes closed in a reassuring smile as she held a small bag in her hands, likely whatever she'd gotten from the vendor.

"Everything is fine, see?" She giggled lightly. Alex blinked at her in confusion, something striking him as odd once more. She'd never smiled at him like that before. Not in this kind of situation, anyway. Before he could question it, she'd turned back around with a wave of her hand. "Now, I should be getting back. The others will be waiting for me!"

That was when it finally hit him.

Her scent… The musty smell of moist earth and pine was gone, replaced by something else. Though it wasn't Athena's scent, it was still familiar.

Something he'd smelled recently, in fact.

"Kirito…" Alex whispered.

"Yeah?" He asked, also keeping his voice low.

"I need you to grab her. Lift her high as you can." Kirito gave him a puzzled look. He opened his mouth to ask why when Athena suddenly broke out into a run. Alex wasted no time and gave chase. "Kirito, hurry! Fast as you can!" Quickly, the exceed summoned his wings and flew his fastest toward the retreating female. In a matter of seconds, he'd caught up with her and lifted her into the air.

"W-what?!" She exclaimed with wide eyes. Golden eyes. So that was why she wouldn't turn to him.

"Who are you?! What have you done with Athena?!" Alex demanded, seething. The imposter scoffed. She reached her hands up both palms facing the exceed carrying her.

"Regulus Impact!" She commanded. In a golden flash, Kirito was knocked backwards into a building with a cry of pain.

"Kirito!" Alex cried as Athena's imposter landed not far from him. "Black Dragon—"

"Andromeda, Bind!" The golden eyed woman held a clenched fist in his direction. Suddenly, golden chains sprouted from the earth. Alex dodged a few, but they seemed to follow him. They managed to wrap around his body and hold him to the ground with bone crushing force. The imposter stared for a moment and began to walk away.

"Black Dragons Tail!" The woman turned back in time to see the chains shatter from the force of a magic infused kick as Alex used his hands to push the rest of his body off the ground. He pushed himself and literally jumped to his feet again, not hesitating to lunge. "Black Dragons Crushing Fang!" He exclaimed, punching his target in the stomach. The dark energy around his fist burst forcefully and knocked her back further as she cough and spluttered from the impact of his attack. Alex glowered darkly at her, enraged that she had hurt his partner. As the dust settled, he saw that she was no longer taking the shape of his friend. The silver haired girl from before showed her true face as she gripped her now bruising stomach in obvious pain, one eye closed tightly in pain.

Alex lunged again, but his opponent was faster, summoning her own spell.

"Wool wall!" She cried. From thin air, a pink wall of soft, fluffy wool caught Alex.

"W-what?" He exclaimed as he began to feel his energy draining from him, drawing him into some form of relaxation. He knew that he was angry, and he knew he had to fight, but for the life of him, he couldn't summon the will to do it.

It wasn't until Marius came rushing to the scene that he was finally freed, but by then the girl had escaped. Marius summoned a gust of wind to blow the wool away and Alex dropped to the ground. Just as the Notus mage was going to check on his guild mate, Alex punched the ground with an audible curse. His limbs beginning to regain feeling as adrenaline rushed back into his veins, the dragon slayer leapt from his place on the ground and kneeled next to Kirito's side. The Exceed was unconscious as Alex cradled him in his arm.

"What happened?" Marius asked. Alex didn't respond as he stood up, careful not to jostle the cat in his arms, and marched over to the cowering stand owner that the stranger had been talking to.

He kneeled down to be eye level with the shocked store owner before he spoke.

"What did she buy?" He asked with a low voice and an unreadable expression. The store owner stared nervously as he stuttered out a reply.

"J-Just some fire lacrima! That was all she bought though." He answered.

"Fire lacrima?" Marius murmured. "I suppose she may need it to light a campfire, but why come into town to get one and risk being seen?"

"What happened here?!" Genji exclaimed, finally catching up with the two boys. Alex stood and walked over to her.

"Take him." He demanded, putting Kirito in the magma mages arms before walking away.

"Where are you going?" Marius demanded.

"I'm going to hunt down the one that hurt my friend and put an end to this!" He shouted and took off into the forest before anyone could even react.

…

Monnie could hear them like whispers. That's what it was like to hear someone's thoughts. The further away they were, the less coherent they became. The closer they were, the louder they became. When he was perched on Athena's shoulder it was like she was whispering in his ear. The comfort he found in knowing she was there was not unlike having a mother. Sometimes her thoughts would move so fast, he couldn't understand what she was thinking.

But then there was Sam. Someone's thoughts he could follow easily. Slow, steady, well composed in a calm situation like this one. But if they were in battle, he couldn't follow many people's thoughts.

So he couldn't understand why this third person was so easy to read. Athena and Sam were thinking so fast that it was like trying to jump on a freight train at full speed. They dodged branches and rocks being thrown at them and lunged in the direction they came from, only to find no one there.

_Please! Please don't go that way!_ That was the fastest thought that ran through their attackers head. The rest was just guessing and finding ways of throwing different things at them. Monnie could tell that the thought's belonged to a girl, and he could figure out where, but he couldn't really communicate those thoughts in his confusion.

Athena dodged another branch thrown from the trees above and lunged in that direction, landing on a branch and once again seeing no one there. She cursed under her breath and leapt back t the ground, only to jump away from a stone being hurtled in her direction.

"Darn it! I'm getting tired of this!" Athena shouted in frustration and raised her fists into the air. "Terra Rupture!" She crashed both fists into the ground, cracking the ground through the forest in all directions.

Sam used his shield to block any debris and searched frantically with his eyes for the culprit. There was something darting through the shadows, but they moved too quickly for him to get a good look at whatever it was. There were too many trees, he realized.

_Guess I'll just have to take care of them then._ Monnie heard him think.

"Metal Morph, Chain Scythe!" Sam shouted, his shield melting and reforming into two small scythes, connected by a long chain. Rather than grabbing the handles on both scythes, he gripped the chain and swung the scythes, cutting them into trees and the ground with Athena protecting both herself and her partner. Monnie could hear the frightened thoughts of their attacker. It was small and more like a child's, unlike the intruder from last night.

When the attack was done, silence followed. Monnie waited a minute as Sam returned his chain scythe to its previous form and for Athena to calm down before he flew slowly away from them, not listening to the Slayers pleas to come back. He focused on the frightened sobs he heard.

He focused on the sounds, and rounded a tree.

A red exceed sat on the other side, curled into a tight ball as she breathed heavily and faced the other way.

_I can't do it!_ She exclaimed. _I can't keep them away at this rate!_

"Keep us away from what?" Monnie asked, startling the exceed. She looked up with big blue eyes. She jumped up and summoned her wings to fly away. "Wait!" Monnie tried.

_I'm sorry, Akemi, I can't do anything else here!_ She thought. Monnie cocked his head.

"Monnie, come over here!" Athena called, gaining his attention. He flew back to where he last saw his partner and realized that she'd moved. "Monnie!" She called again and he followed the sound of her voice.

He found her and Sam both standing in the middle of a clearing.

"Athena?" Monnie asked. The Dragon Slayer turned around towards him.

"Do you smell that?" She asked. The exceed cocked his head. "There's this strong scent in the air. It's strong enough that I know I couldn't be the only one smelling it." Athena clarified.

"I smell it too." Sam said, turning to also face the talking feline. Monnie looked between them before deciding to take a whiff of the air.

That's when he realized he could smell something. It was strong, even for his nose, strong enough it made him want to sneeze. A sickly sweet floral smell. Monnie blinked up at Athena.

"What is that?" He asked. Athena pointed.

"It's coming from over there." She said and began walking in that direction.

It wasn't long before the group found where the scent was coming from. They pushed aside some bushes and came across another clearing. Here they found a very large batch of beautiful flowers with only five petals. Athena gasped at their beauty as the swayed gently in the breeze, they were so white they glowed.

"What are these?" She questioned. Sam stared in awe as well.

"I think these are moon flowers." He answered. Athena stared at him in shock then and he blinked at her. "What?"

"I just never took you for a flower kind of guy." She said. He shrugged.

"They were my mother's favorite. My father would always get them for her, whether it was an occasion or he just felt like it." Athena nodded in understanding and turned back to the clearing.

"I can see why. They're beautiful." She said and moved to take a step closer. Suddenly, she was knocked several feet away from the clearing and onto her back with a heavy weight sitting on her. She dazedly looked up to see the silver haired girl from last night sitting on top of her. Before Athena could react, someone else came barreling in and knocked the girl off of her. Athena looked up and saw Alex facing down the stranger.

The girl rolled to her feet and Athena heard her mutter something incoherent under her breath before a bright light formed in her hands.

"That water trick again?" She asked out loud, only to be surprised when a massive battle axe appeared in her hands. "Requip?" She exclaimed in confusion as Alex reeled back from the flat side of the blade being swung in his direction. Once Alex was a good distances away Athena stood up and sucked in a very large breath.

"Earth Dragons Roar!" She shouted and a spiral of earth and stones shot like a bullet towards the girl. She leapt to avoid the attack and sucked in a breath of her own.

"Celestial Dragons Roar!" She exclaimed. A column of golden light shot towards Athena, and faster than she could dodge, Sam ran between her and the magic attack and held up his shield against it. His feet dug into the ground from the impact and he found himself struggling to stay in place before the roar died down.

Once he was certain it was safe, he lowered his shield and threw his hammer at the girl.

The metal weight collided into her stomach, sending a greater wave of shock through her body from her previously injured spot.

She fell heavily to the ground in the middle of the field of flowers, her axe falling beside her with a heavy thump. Alex lunged for her, and though she was in pain she choked out a loud "Regulus Gatling Impact!" Explosions of golden light caught Alex in midair and threw him backwards until he was thrown into a tree. He cringed and sat up, fury in his eyes.

"Why you..." He started. He saw her struggling to stand and furrowed his brow deeply. The girl was unable to even pull a steady leg beneath herself as she kept falling to the ground. He blinked. Was the combination of both his and Sam's attack really that strong?

"Akemi!" A small voice cried and the silver haired girl looked up as a red blur shot from the trees.

Without warning, the girl sent a roar in that direction, a warning shot that forced the exceed to stop. After that she gripped at her neck and started gasping for air. The axe glowed and disappeared as she keeled over onto her side.

That's when Alex recognized the flowers in the clearing and the anger in his gut melted away, leaving him standing wide eyed.

_**READ ENDING AUTHORS NOTE FOR IMPORTANT ANOUNCMENTS!**_

* * *

**A/N:** Alright, I was planning on this chapter being longer, but it's already a freaking 5,000 words! I'll just have to leave you here and make up for it.

_**Important Announcements!**_

**First**, Repunzel3, Katelin's creator, designed and is still designing magic circles for everyone's Characters! Woo Hoo! Big hand to her! The link to the pic is on my profile, guys.

**Second**, I MADE A FORUM FOR BEAST TALON! It's just a cool little place you guys can ask me questions and where I can ask you some as well. Again, posting the link on my profile.

**Third**, Character list! Just for clarification, I posted all the characters and their magic and status on my profile… again…

**Lastly**, IT'S altajir95'S BIRTHDAY! Happy birthday dude! I hope you like the chapter! I promise Akashi will show up the next chapter! This one was just dragging on too long. XP

FAVORITE AND REVIEW PEOPLE! Again, so sorry I never updated until today! Summer is my writers block and my time to Draw rather than write! See ya soon!

"Akemi Hoshi" and "Lyla" belong to **ME!** Yay!


	8. Chapter 8

"She's choking!" Athena's pupil's dilated and her mouth hung agape as she gasped. Her body lurched as she moved to rush out into the clearing, but found herself stopped by a pair of arms wrapping firmly around her waist. Athena thrashed against their grip as she cried out, "Let me go! What are you doing?!"

"We have to help her!" Monnie exclaimed, tugging helplessly on the arms clinging to his friend's waist.

"Rushing out there now will only get you into the same situation as her!" Alex shouted, keeping his arms locked firmly around her. Athena refused to listen and continued to thrash, clawing at his fingers.

"Akemi!" The red exceed from before shouted. She tried to rush into the clearing on her wings, only to be stopped short by a dragon's roar passing directly in front of her.

Akemi put the last ounce of breath her lungs still grasped into that shot, but now her airways were closing up on her and would not allow her to take another breath. She wheezed and fought for the oxygen she so desperately needed, but it was no use. Her lungs burned with the need for air and her vision began to blur.

Heavy footfalls reached her ears and resonated in her head, causing her to look up.

Sam had taken action the same time as Athena to go rushing into the clearing, and was kneeling down to lift her up and carry her away. Akemi lifted her hand to swat his away, but her sight quickly went from blurry to dark all too soon, leaving her shrouded in shadow.

Without hesitation, Sam picked up the now unconscious girl and rushed out of the clearing, but he didn't dare stop there. He needed to get her someplace safe.

As he passed them, continuing his way to town, Athena violently tore Alex's hands away from her before turning on him. He opened his mouth to explain before she could start shouting, but found his voice caught in his throat as a sharp, stinging sensation pulsed and crept through his cheek. Athena's hand shook with rage and the same sting, being lowered to her side after the slap she delivered to someone she considered a teammate.

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you..." Her voice was quiet, strained with the effort it took to not screech in her anger, yet still held at no more than a whisper. Alex fisted his hands at his sides, focusing all his frustration there as he directed a calm expression at her.

"Do you not recognize a threat when you see one?" He demanded.

"A threat?!" She snapped angrily. He dared call her, a girl the two of them barely knew, a threat when she was sitting out in the open and suffocating. "She was dying! You can't expect me to stand here and let her choke on her own lungs just because she attacked us!"

"It's exactly because she tried to hurt you that I can't understand your need to help her." Alex said, still keeping his voice steady in hopes she'd calm down. But even as he stood there, his knuckles whitened from the strain it took to not unleash his outrage.

"Are you listening to yourself?! Evil or not, we don't go around deciding to let our foes die in front of us!" Athena scolded him, her disbelief fueling her rage as it built up in her chest, desperate to be let out all at once. Alex finally snapped at her accusation, his emotions yanking the words in his head out into the open.

"She hurt Kirito!" He shouted at her, making Athena hesitate in her response. She knew how much Kirito meant to him. He'd give up everything to save him, but even so, was this his justification? "But she's not what I meant by threat…" Alex's voice was much quieter, scarcely above a whisper. He let his emotions through to her and he was both aware he had likely just made his situation worse and embarrassed that he had let his anger get the better of him. He liked fighting, sure, but only when he knew it wouldn't tear apart his relationship with his teammates, his friends, and also when he was facing a skilled opponent. He avoided meeting Athena's gaze as he spoke. "Do you even know what Dragonsbane looks like?" He gestured to the flowers. Athena looked to the Lunar blooms.

"Dragonsbane? Aren't those Lunar Flowers?" Alex shook his head.

"Lunar flowers only bloom during the night, hence their name. Those are currently in full bloom, in the middle of the day. Dragonsbane is almost deadly to a dragon slayer." Athena cupped her hand over her mouth to muffle her gasp. "I know we shouldn't let our enemies die when we can help, but that doesn't mean we need to get ourselves killed in the process." Athena lowered her hands and looked at him again, determination and concern sewn into her expression.

"You can explain when we get back, but I think she needs our help." She said and took off into the forest. Alex stared at the flowers as they swayed in the wind for a final moment before following directly after.

…

Athena sat in her and her teammates hotel room, biting her fingernails nervously as she watched with worry over the stranger known as Akemi fighting for breath as she slept.

"Dragonsbane…" She muttered. She didn't even know it was a threat that existed. But she could see it's results clearly before her. Athena let her eyes drift to the poor Exceed who had cried herself to sleep at her friend's side.

They'd learned that the Exceed's name was Lyla, and that Akemi had been her caregiver for a very long time. Athena hoped for her sake that Akemi would live past this.

"She will live, Athena." The earth mage blinked and looked down into her lap where Monnie had previously been asleep. She smiled and stroked his ears.

"There you go, reading my thoughts again." She whispered fondly.

"I can also read Alex's, and he thinks she'll survive." Athena felt a pressure in her chest loosen. It gave her confidence to hear that the one with more knowledge on the subject felt reassured. "He's trying to help her only because you're so worried, you know." Athena smiled. "He won't say it, but he is."

"I know." Athena whispered as she continue to stroke Monnie on the head.

Meanwhile, in the boys room, Sam rushed in, in a black t-shirt and his shoes practically bathed in dirt, holding a Dragonsbane flower. Katelin followed soon after, carrying a small satchel.

"Good, bring them over here." Alex said and the two did so. "Here comes the tricky part. I can't do this myself, so I'm going to need an extra pair of hands." He said, cautiously taking a step away from the flower. Katelin wordlessly took a seat and emptied out the satchel where the apothecary supplies clinked as the glass struck the table.

"What do I have to do?" The support Mage asked. Alex spent the next hour instructing Katelin on how to make the potion from the Dragonsbane. Sam sat on his bed and stared at Akemi's key.

He examined the leather lace to keep him occupied. He noticed the many knots in it, scars to show it had been broken many times. She must really hold this close, he thought, to keep it for so long. Even he could see that.

By the time the concoction was nearly finished, Marius came back from his search for Genji. As soon as he entered the room, he reeled back and put the back of his hand to his nose.

"Gah, that reeks!" He exclaimed.

"Good. It should for what we need it for." Alex said. "It's ready, let's get it to her." He said and took the medicine bowl to the next room. There, he held it under Akemi's nose.

Athena stood from her seat the moment they entered and watched over Alex's shoulder.

After a few moments, Akemi started coughing as she woke up and backed away from the medicine, holding her hand to her nose. She opened her eyes and looking around. First, her eyes found Alex with the bowl of foul smelling potion in hand. Then, her eyes drifted around, catching in order Athena, Katelin, Sam and Marius. She gazed uneasily around the room as she felt Lyla shift against her hip.

"Akemi, you're awake!" She said happily. Akemi took her hand pulled Lyla closer to her, as if to shield her.

"We're not going to hurt you, I swear. We want to help." Katelin tried to assure.

"Drink this." Alex demanded, gesturing to the potion. Akemi's stared at it skeptically. "You're chest hurts, right? It's the Dragonsbane, your lungs are closing up. If you don't drink this, it'll take longer to go away and you'll feel like you're suffocating." She had to admit, it already felt like she couldn't breath. Hesitantly, she took the bowl into her hands and lifted the potion to her lips.

As it touched her tongue she gagged. It tasted just as bad as it smelled.

"These people are nice, Akemi. They won't hurt us." Lyla said, meeting Akemi's eyes. She looked from Lyla to the others, unsure what to believe.

"I'm Athena. Lyla's told us about you. It's nice to meet you, Akemi." Athena said, holding out her hand. Akemi looked from Athena's hand to her face before turning her own head away. Athena drew her hand back as Lyla sighed.

"I'm Katelin. The one who gave you the medicine is Alex. The big guy is Sam and the other one is Marius." Akemi sighed.

"Listen," she started, her voice raspy. "I appreciate your help, but really, I don't plan on ever seeing you people again, so I see no point in getting to know you." She said matter of factly.

"Akemi, they're just being nice…" Lyla tried, but Akemi said nothing more. "Sorry, she really doesn't like strangers. Please don't take it personally." Lyla requested. Athena nodded as she took her seat again.

"So, where are you from, Akemi?" Katelin asked. Akemi said nothing. "Got any family we can contact? Friends?" Akemi still kept her lips sealed. Katelin sighed.

"Akemi doesn't have anyone else. Her mom passed away a long time ago, before she ever knew me." Lyla answered.

"They don't need to know that, Lyla." Akemi droned, appearing to be angry. Lyla looked down at her paws sadly and Katelin sighed.

"Look, we came here because of a job. That job was to get rid of a ghost in the forest that had been harassing the villagers. As circumstances would have it, you seem to be our ghost. We need you to stop harassing the villagers, so if you can promise us that, we'll leave you alone." Katelin offered.

"I can't." Akemi replied shortly.

"And why's that?" Marius asked. Akemi grinned evilly.

"Why do you think?" She said. "Let's look at your experiences with me so far, shall we?" She then turned her attention to Alex. "I did harm to your friend. I attacked all of you, snuck into your room at night to attempt to steal your things, I disguised myself as one of you. I even attacked my own Ally to get what I needed." Alex grit his teeth angrily. "I won't leave the villagers alone, because it's fun to ruin their evenings." She continued to grin as she finished her little speech. Athena stared blankly at her while most of the others in the room glared.

"That's not true, is it." Athena stated, earning everyone's attention. "I don't believe that for one second. I think it's all about those flowers. I don't think you knew that they would only hurt Dragon Slayers. I think you thought that they were poisonous to everyone. So you sought a way of destroying them, but you also had to find a way to keep the villagers away until you could. That's why you attacked Kirito. That's also why you roared at Lyla, is in it?" As Athena continue to speak, Akemi's grin slowly fell from her face. "That's also why you disguised yourself as me, so you had less of a chance of being recognized. As for sneaking into our room, it wasn't to steal our things, it was to take back the thing that we had taken from you." Akemi glared at Athena.

"You don't know a damn thing about me, so why don't you stop making naive assumptions." Akemi growled. "I couldn't care less about that useless key." Sam looked at her when she said that. He knew she was lying. All the marks in the lace proved as much, and Athena's theories made sense.

So, he stepped forward, forcing her attention to him. He said nothing as he stood there, just held out his fist, slowly opening his fingers to reveal her key. She sat and stared at it, wide eyed. He could tell by the look on her face that she was resisting the urge to snatch it from his hand, so he saved her the trouble and placed it in her palm for her. After doing so, he quietly left the room.

She looked down at the key in her palm and blinked before slowly closing her fingers around it. She didn't say anything, just held it gratefully to her chest, relieved to have it back. Alex promptly left the room, followed by Marius. With the boys gone, Katelin smiled at the stranger.

"After what Athena said, I don't think we have to ask you to leave the towns people alone." She stood up and met Akemi's eyes. "You can stay here as long as you need. And, if you ever want a place to call home, you should come join Beast Talon. We could use wizards like you."

"Your wasting your breath." Akemi bit. Katelin shrugged and turned to Athena.

"We should leave her alone. You wanna go tell the mayor the good news with me?" Katelin asked Athena. Athena looked to Akemi, worried she'd leave if left alone, but nodded anyways.

"I hope to see you later, Akemi." She'd said and left. Lyla turned to Akemi.

"I think it's a good idea." She told the silver haired Mage. Akemi rolled her eyes and looked at the window she had broken the previous night, covered by a sheet. "I know you don't particularly like getting close to others, but this could be a good change! A chance to make friends!" Akemi said nothing as she continued to look at the window.

By the time the others got back, the sheet on the broken window was left drifting in the wind with Akemi and Lyla nowhere to be seen.

…

"So you mean to tell me, that after all that grief, you let her get away?" Genji asked incredulously.

"It was her choice, not ours, and I would not allow us to keep her captive." Katelin replied, helping store her comrades bags in the compartment above their seats on the train.

"What, and just like that, Kirito goes unavenged? I swear on his grave, I will settle her debt to him." Alex said, leaning in through the open window.

"I'm right here you know, and I'm perfectly fine." Kirito said, settling on top of his head. Alex grinned.

"Of course! Kings would never allow a situation like this to shake them, and as fellow kings we shall do just the same! But I will kick her ass the next time I see her." He exclaimed. Katelin rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Get your own ass on this train first before I get Athena to kick yours." Katelin knew that a threat of Athena's wrath unto him would convince him more than her own. She was proved right when the grin fell from Alex's face and his eyes widened in what he would say was mistaken for fear.

"You wouldn't." He whispered. Katelin smirked.

"I think we both know I would…" She picked up her imaginary skirts and bowed to him. "M'lord." Alex swallowed thickly with a green tint spreading through his face as he leapt away from the cabin window and disappeared to board the motorized contraption. Katelin and Genora giggled amongst themselves as they continued to pack their things into compartments.

Athena sat in the seats adjacent to them, staring out the window at the people attempting to board their trains, saying goodbye and hello to loved ones in the station. Sam sat across from her, watching her solemn expression in silence.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Athena asked quietly. Sam nodded.

"She's been on her own a long time, I'd wager." He explained. "I'm sure she knows how to handle herself." Athena hummed in agreement.

"Remember what Red would sometimes tell us about her old Guild? Her Guild master used to say that some may prefer solitude, but none can withstand it." Athena sighed as she saw two girls hug each other. "It's insane to feel so worried over a person who took every opportunity to attack us, both with words and with actions, but…" Sam didn't need her to finish. He knew exactly what she meant.

"She's been alone a long time. When she decides she doesn't want solitude anymore, she knows where to find us." He said more to himself. He was just as worried as Athena, and he knew he had absolutely no reason to be.

Then again, neither of them did.

"Tickets, please." Asked a train employee and the group showed their tickets for leave.

It took hours for them to get back home, but imagine their surprise when they find their beloved Guild to be as silent as death.

The newly arrived Guild members stared in shock at the building around them. The members in the building were far too thin and the majority of the people there were all glancing up at the infirmary with either fear or anger.

Katelin automatically spotted the ghostly figures standing like sentinels at the base of the staircase. Her eyes sought out the Guild master. Red stood near the steps, staring at the guards, deep in thought. Katelin approached the blond wordlessly and stood beside her.

"What's happened here?" She asked. Red shrugged.

"I wish I knew. This kid came stumbling in, beaten pretty bad. We took him up to the infirmary when he lost consciousness. Next thing I know, he's awake and these soldiers are attacking the Guild." She gestured to the ghostly figures standing at the steps. "After things settled down, we had no way of even approaching the room..." Red sighed angrily. "Not without starting another all out fight." Katelin put a hand on Red's shoulder.

"It'll work out, I'm sure. We just need to figure out how to get close." Red huffed at Katelin's suggestion.

"Easier said than done. For every one we beat, he summons another to replace it. It's an endless army of ghosts." Red sighed sadly. Katelin looked at the ground. _An unbeatable army._ She thought. Red took a deep breath and turned to her Guild mate.

"How'd the job go?" She asked. Katelin shrugged.

"It was okay. Our ghost ended up being a misguided girl who likes to pretend to be cruel. She's on her own and I gave her the option of joining us, but she seemed uninterested." Red shrugged.

"Now's not the best time anyways, what with the wizard upstairs." The girls sighed in unison before they heard the doors of their hall open. A girl walked in with a tattered cloak over her shoulders and her hood up. The ghostly sentinels seemed to be the only figures unfazed by this new intrusion.

The girl walked further into the room, and those who just returned from their mission recognized the red, flying cat beside her. Red stepped toward Akemi and began to speak.

"Excuse me, the Guild is currently closed off to civilians. I'm afraid I-" Red started as she approached the stranger. She couldn't finish her sentence, however, because Akemi ran forward and past the guild master, heading directly for the sentinels stationed at the base of the stairs.

Some of the guild members cried out in desperation for her to stop, but Akemi didn't pay them any mind. Recklessly, she leapt into the air before the skeletal sentinels and kicked, or more accurately stepped on one of the ghosts faces. Kicking off of mentioned face, she leapt onto the foyer above.

"What does she think she's doing?!" Katelin cried hysterically.

When she landed on the second floor, Akemi lifted her head to take in her immediate surroundings. And she would have, had the handle of a spear not caught her under the chin at that very moment. Her head having been knocked back from the force of the blow, she slammed it against the railing, and her vision went double as a result, distorting her thoughts significantly. Her vision was not so impaired, however, that she could not see the ghost standing above her, about to deliver the finishing blow.

"Earth Dragon's Roar!" A whirlwind of dust and rock blasted the ghost in the face and caused it to dissipate in a cloud of dust. However, rather than attempt to figure out who had saved her, she stood warily from her place on the ground and looked around.

It seemed, that in the struggle, the guild member had begun to climb the stair after her. She had to act quickly if this was the case.

She looked at the upper floor once again, the soldier that had been felled by the blast was slowly beginning to reform, feet first. Ignoring that one for the time being, she looked behind it instead to the one door that was guarded on either side by a skeletal figure.

_Gotcha._ She thought.

Having finally regained her balance and the soldier beside having been half reformed, Akemi lunged toward the door. The guards raised their spears, ready to receive her the moment she got within their range. Akemi ignited her fist with her magic and without hesitation, she leapt into the air. The soldiers raised their spears and she drew back her fist, descending on them very rapidly.

Swiftly, her fist crashed into the cheek of the soldier closest to her. A satisfying crack, the sudden scent of iron, and the crash two bodies colliding with a wall were all, in her opinion, the finishing factors of this fight.

Athena, having only just reached the top of the stairs at that moment, gaped in astonishment as Akmei knelt from her attack. Lyla stared in concern when she noticed Akemi stumble unsteadily to her feet, and was even more so when she launched herself through the infirmary and shut it tight before anyone else could notice.

"Hey!" Red called angrily, her chest constricted in concern for the stranger and for the boy who resided inside the room. She moved to open the door, but was shocked to find it suddenly covered in golden chains. Red jiggled the knob violently, trying to get it open. "Get out of there!" She exclaimed loudly. "It's not-!"

"Red!" Alex shouted in warning. Red spun on her heel to see one of the ghosts raising a sword to cut her down. She dodged out of the way, but when she turned back, it was frozen in place. Not a moment later, it lowered its weapon and stood stock still before suddenly crumbling to dust.

Almost immediately after, the chains on the door fell away with heavy jangling sounds and dissipated, leaving the door perfectly unaffected.

Red immediately went to open the door, but for the umpteenth time was beaten to it, as it was opened from the other side.

Akemi stood there, her hood still pulled over her head and stared them all from beneath it.

"He's asleep." She stated simply. Red blinked, shocked by all the events that had just unfolded.

"Wh…" She looked behind her, and to her relief found it to be true. The boy was perfectly unharmed and fast asleep, the most peaceful look on his face as could be. Relief overtook her heart, but as she looked back at the stranger, that relief was soon overpowered by her frustration. "What on Earthland do you think you were doing?!" she yelled. Akemi blinked in indifference to her angry tone.

"I fixed your problem. A 'thank you' couldn't hurt, I mean, you are in my debt now and all." She said flatly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Your debt?!" Red exclaimed. "I don't even know who you are!"

"That's fine, I'll call for my payment sooner or later. But I believe that you consider me unwelcome, so I'll just save it for later. Come one Lyla, let's get out of here." Akemi headed for the stairs after that, and slid past the crowd at the top. Athena reached out to stop her, wishing she could say something, but nothing seemed to come to mind. Especially when the heavy and fresh scent of blood met her nose. She stared after Akemi in absolute horror.

"H-hold on…" Athena called, but Akemi didn't stop and left the guild hall.

"Honestly, she could have very made the situation far worse." Red huffed irritably.

"But she didn't. You gotta give her points for being efficient." Katelin chuckled. Red stared her wide eyed. Shock seemed to be a common emotion with her as of late.

The moment Akemi was certain she was out of sight of the guild, she allowed her feet to take her to the nearest wall and rest, her hand immediately going to the spear wound in her stomach, She should have known a frontal attack was a bad idea.

"Akemi?" Lyla asked in concern, immediately grabbing her arm to give her support. Akemi sucked in a breath when her injury throbbed painfully and released it when the pain subsided. Rather than reply to her friends inquiry, she slid to the ground and tore a strip off the hem of her cloak and tied it firmly around her waist, hoping it would staunch the bleeding well enough.

"I'll be okay, Lyla." She sighed and used the wall of the building to help her stand upright.

"Not like that, you won't." Akemi looked over her shoulder to where Athena stood a few yards away, her eyes softened kindly as they met Akemi's gaze.

"Mind your own business." Akemi bit irritably, and turned back down the street to continue walking, her arm braced against the wall for support.

"Uh, if you're looking for a quiet place, you're going the wrong way." Athena informed her. Akemi sighed and closed her eyes, attempting to stay calm.

"Is that so." She stated more than asked as she turned back to the Earth Dragon Slayer.

"That way's Market Street, the busiest part of town." Athena gestured down another street. "I'd recomend this way if your looking to avoid people." Akemi looked her up and down skeptically, unsure as the the mages motive in helping her. It's true that she'd prefer to avoid people as much as possible, but she couldn't come up with a good reason to accept the help of _this_ particular person either.

Lyla looked between the two of them, wondering what her old friend would decide.

"We don't need a reason to help you, Akemi." Monnie said assuringly. Akemi looked to the peach colored Exceed with wide eyes, surprised at his response to her train of thought.

_How did he…?_ She wondered.

"Look…" Athena started with a sigh. "Would please trust me just this once? I have absolutely no reason to trick you nor do I have the means or desire, so please?" She requested with earnest. Despite this, her skepticism remained. She had to admit though, she had nothing to lose with trusting her this one time, and no real reason she should choose not to either.

"Fine, just this once." Akemi grumbled reluctantly. Athena grinned happily, bouncing on her heels at having finally made a breakthrough.

"Come on, I know just the place to take you!" She exclaimed in excitement and went bouncing down the street she had gestured to. Akemi watched her go in exasperation and shifted to cross the street in slow pursuit. The movement irritated her stomach wound and it throbbed painfully.

"Do I need to carry you?" Lyla asked, gaining the Earth mages attention back to the pair.

"I'll be fine, once I get moving." She said, uncertain of her own words. Athena took a deep breath, her stomach twisting in sympathy as she walked back to them. Before the silver haired girl could protest, Athena had shimmied beneath her arm to support her to their destination.

"Don't worry, it's not far." She smiled and carried the both of them down the street.

She was right when she stated it was not far, and it didn't take long for her to open the door to the building they stopped at and get the four of them inside.

Athena had Akemi sit on the couch while she went to get a few items. Akemi took a curious glance around.

"Where are we?" She asked when the Beast Talon mage came back.

"My place. Cozy, isn't it?" She smiled, setting a bowl of water and wash cloth on the coffee table. Akemi had to admit that she agreed. The light colored furniture complimented the room very well in stark contrast to the dark lacquered doors and archways. "Would you mind taking off your cloak and those bandages please?" Athena requested. Akemi then remembered whose presence she was in and wiped her expression of anything relating encouragement, but complied to her request all the same.

This was the first time Athena had seen Akemi's attire in full view before. Her top seemed to be made of old clothes and animal hide, same as her skirt. She could see that her stomach was immensely bruised from a powerful blow and it wasn't given by the spear. She could also clearly see a faint X shaped scar that stretched across her belly button. It was faded and old, but she couldn't tell exactly how old.

Shaking her head and pushing any questions she had to the back of her mind, she started to focus on cleaning the wound. When Akemi winced so did Athena, apologizing right after.

"Apologies won't get rid of the pain." She said not unkindly. It was enough for Athena to hear the small hint of forgiveness in her voice and she smiled softly, returning to cleaning the wound gently.

"So, I have to ask," Athena started, gaining Akemi's attention. "What were you doing at the hall, and how'd you get that boy to settle down?" Akemi shrugged.

"I just had to calm him down, that's all." Akemi replied . Athena gave her a flat look.

"Obviously, but _how_?" She demanded.

"I stared until he got so bored he fell asleep." Akemi said sarcastically. Athena took the hint and left that matter alone for the time being, huffing in agitation. "As for why I was there, Lyla wanted to come. She thought it sounded like fun and insisted I come too." Akemi admitted truthfully. Athena smiled to herself, thinking that sounded sweet of her. She forced the smile off her face before Akemi noticed, not wishing her to ruin the image. The Exceed's in the room watched quietly and smiled at each other, realizing precisely what was running through each other Dragon Slayers heads.

After Athena had finished cleaning, stitching and bandaging Akemi's wound, the silver haired mage said goodbye and moved for the door, calling for Lyla.

"Wait, have you got anywhere to stay?" Athena asked. Akemi turned back to her and furrowed her brow.

"Why? Are you offering?" Akemi asked in turn.

"Actually, yeah, I am." Gold eyes flitted up and down the Earth Mage before turning back to the door.

"No thanks." She said shortly and walked toward the door. Athena stopped her once again.

"Why not. Unlike a hotel or apartment, I won't charge you." Athena tried to persuade.

"I hate Earth Mages." Akemi said, turning back and making Athena freeze from her cold look. "It's nothing personal, but I'd really prefer to stay as far away from people as possible, especially you." Akemi turned to the door once again, and this time was not halted on her pursuit for the door.

Lyla reluctantly followed after, stopping to apologize to Athena and thank her for her help before continuing on her way out the door.

Athena stood in the same place long after the girl and her Exceed had left. She couldn't helping staying stock still. All of a sudden, she felt so self conscious, to the point her knees buckled and she hugged herself, sobbing with only her closest friend to comfort her.

…

The next day, it escaped no one's attention that the Earth Mage was unusually quiet, and she sat with her head on the table, tracing the rim of her empty glass with the most depressed air anyone could fathom.

"I don't get why I'm so upset over this…" She whispered to herself. Monnie could offer no other solace than to sit and cuddle her, but they both knew it wasn't doing much. Keiko took the chance to come up to her and tilt her head, her eyebrows creased in a kind but worried way.

"Is there anything you need, Athena?" She asked. Athena shook her head.

"No, thanks though, Keik." She sighed. Keiko's shoulders slumped and she looked up to Sam who sat at the bar. He shrugged and shook his head. Keiko sighed.

"Alright. Give me a shout if you change your mind." Athena only nodded as she walked off.

Only a few minutes later did Akemi enter the building quietly, her hood up once more. But by then, Athena had caught her scent and buried her face into her arms. As she walked past, Akemi took notice and blinked. Lyla, sensing her confusion, answered for her.

"She's feeling really self conscious over what you said yesterday, Akemi. You need to learn to be more sensitive about these things!" Lyla scolded quietly. Akemi didn't allow herself to react, but Lyla could feel the guilt settling in her stomach like a heavy stone.

Despite her feelings, Akemi continued on her way up to the guild master's office. She didn't bother knocking when she opened the door and walked right in.

Red looked up in surprise, then irritation. "Yes? Can I help you?" She asked, pausing any paper work she may have been in the middle of.

"I'm here to call on that favor you owe me." She said, stepping into the room with Lyla settling on her shoulder. Red rubbed her temples and sighed.

"Just get it over with, what do you want?" She said, flipping her bangs out of her eyes. Akemi pulled down her hood and Red's eyes widened in recognition. Akemi didn't notice.

"We'd like to temporarily join your guild." Akemi said. "Only for a three month period, and if we decide not to stay, we'll go. Our names are-"

"Akemi?" Red interjected. Akemi widened her eyes, completely caught off guard. Red carefully stood from her seat and hesitantly made her way around her desk. "Little Star?" She asked. Akemi stared at her suspiciously.

"Do I… Know you?" She asked hesitantly. Red grinned widely and tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, relief flooding her heart. Lyla had to quickly jump out of the way when Red crushed the unsuspecting girl in a tight hug.

"It is you! You're alive!" She mumbled the last two words over and over again as Akemi remained frozen in utter confusion.

* * *

**A/N:** Holy Crap! I hate making you guys wait so long for a new chapter, and I hate making Akemi seem like such a freaking bitch! If you guys hate her now, I'll understand, but I have it all planned out! Well... when I say 'all planned out'...

Don't hate me!

And I know I haven't been mentioning other characters as often, but I'll get to it! I promise. I love you guys and review please!


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